Tempeh & Pesto Butternut Squash Lasagna
Rich and comforting lasagna with marinara sauce, basil pesto, rosemary tempeh, and butternut squash! Creamy and comforting, a delicious dish to fight the cold days!
Ingredients
- 1/2 butternut squash peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices*
Cashew Pesto Sauce
- 2 cups cashews soaked overnight
- 1/2 cup vegan pesto (homemade or store-bought)
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
Tomato Sauce
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 28-oz can peeled tomatoes
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/4 tsp ground chili
Tempeh
- 14 ounces tempeh
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 1/2 tsp each: cumin and paprika
- 1/8 tsp liquid smoke optional
Instructions
- Prepare the cashew pesto sauce: Drain the soaked cashews and transfer to a blender. Add the vegan pesto, water, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and salt. Blend on high speed, or until smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic film, set aside.
- Prepare the tomato sauce: In a medium-size saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions and garlic and sautée for 3-5 minutes or until the onions are soft.
- Add the peeled tomatoes with their juice to a blender and pulse 3-4 times until roughly chopped, the mixture should still be a bit chunky with tomato pieces. Transfer the tomato puree to the saucepan, bring to a boil and let simmer 35-40 minutes, or until it has slightly thickened.
- Add the maple syrup, nutritional yeast, and ground chili, and stir to combine.
- Prepare the tempeh: Using your hands, scramble the tempeh into small pieces and transfer to a bowl. Add the soy sauce, maple syrup, rosemary, cumin, paprika, and liquid smoke. Stir to coat the tempeh with the marinade.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the tempeh scramble and sautée for 3-5 minutes, or until it starts to brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Make the lasagna: Preheat oven to 400°F (200°F). Pour half of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 10x7-inch baking dish. Top with half of the tempeh scramble. Next, pour half of the cashew pesto sauce on top and try to spread it evenly using the back of a spoon. It's okay if it slightly mixes with the tomato sauce.
- Arrange 10-12 slices of butternut squash overlapping on top of the pesto cream. Repeat with the rest of the tomato sauce, tempeh scramble, pesto cream, and another layer of butternut squash slices. Sprinkle the top layer with sea salt and rosemary.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the butternut squash is fork tender. You can then put it under the grill for another 10 minutes to make the butternut squash golden brown on top.
- Let cool a few minutes before serving. Butternut squash lasagna will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator or 1 month in the freezer.
Notes
* Be careful and use a very sharp knife to cut the butternut squash into thin slices. I recommend using the top half of the butternut squash (where there are no seeds).
Nutrition
Serving: 1 g | Calories: 632 kcal | Carbohydrates: 43.4 g | Protein: 25.6 g | Fat: 44 g | Fiber: 5.4 g | Sugar: 11.9 g