Vegetarian White Lasagna Without Ricotta Cheese
A delicious combination of creamy butternut squash and spinach bechamel sauce layered with pasta for a comfort food favorite everyone will love. It's easy to make ahead and uses healthy, fresh ingredients.
Servings 8 people
Calories 365kcal
Ingredients
Spinach Bechamel
- 10 ounce frozen spinach thawed and squeezed
- 2 cups milk
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- Sea salt and white pepper to taste
Butternut Squash Mixture
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ onion finely diced (about 1 cup)
- 6 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 3 cups butternut squash puree
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ cup vegetable broth or water
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
Other ingredients
- 12 lasagna noodles whole wheat or regular
- 1 ½ cup mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
Spinach Bechamel
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. When hot add the flour and stir with a whisk to form a roux.
- Add milk and continue stirring with a whisk until smooth. Place on very low heat and let the sauce cook for 10 minutes or until thick and creamy, stirring frequently.
- When sauce is thick and creamy, stir in the spinach, fresh herbs, salt, and white pepper to taste.
Cook Lasagna Noodles
- Start cooking the lasagna noodles while the sauce is cooking. Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling over high heat.
- Add the noodles and cook for 75% of the time listed on the package.
- When ready, dump into a strainer and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
Make the Butternut Squash Layer
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté until softened, and translucent. Stir frequently so they don’t burn.
- Add the butternut squash puree, vegetable broth, nutmeg, and nutritional yeast to the pan.
- Taste and add salt and pepper to taste. Reduce to low heat and cook uncovered for 5-8 minutes to evaporate most of the liquid. The sauce should be thick without a lot of excess liquid. When ready remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Assemble and Cook the Lasagna
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray baking pan with baking spray or lightly coat with oil.
- Spread a thin layer of squash mixture in the bottom of the baking dish.
- Next lay lasagna noodles in a single layer overlapping slightly. You may need to cut the noodles to fit your pan.
- Spread one-fourth remaining butternut squash mixture on top of the noodles, followed by one-fourth spinach bechamel and ⅓ cup mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat three times, ending with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Cover with a lid or layer of aluminum foil.
- Place the baking dish in a hot oven and cook for 30 minutes, remove the foil and continue cooking for 10 minutes until the cheese is lightly brown and the dish is heated through.
- When ready, remove from the oven and let rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting and serving.
Notes
Expert Tips:
Be sure you only cook the lasagna noodles 75% of the way through in the boiling water. This way they will finish cooking in the oven without turning to mush.
Use a deep 13 x 9 casserole dish so you have plenty of room for all the layers.
Squeeze as much of the water from the spinach as you can so your lasagna doesn’t turn out watery.
Let the lasagna rest for 15 minutes before cutting and serving. This time allows all the juices to absorb and settle so the lasagna cuts beautifully.
Nutrition
Calories: 365kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 394mg | Potassium: 559mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 10061IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 272mg | Iron: 2mg
