Garden Vegetable Beschamel Lasagna

Nothing is better than a delicious piece of lasagna, mmm! And the great part is you can cook it once and eat for days! It’s not only budget friendly but this version is taste friendly! A different twist on the usual veggie lasagna, this jam packed vegan white sauce and vegetable packed “casserole” will be a hit with family and friends!

• 4 cups butternut squash, cut into 1/2″ cubes
• 16 oz spinach, washed and dried
• 3 onions, thinly sliced
• 1 lb lasagna strips (enough for three layers, gluten free if desired)
• 12 ounces vegan ricotta (recipe below)
• 2-3 cups vegan shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• chili flakes
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup basil, julienned
• 1 tablespoon Olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Vegan butter, plus extra for topping

1. Preheat oven to 425F.  Drizzle the butternut squash with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast the butternut squash for about 30 minutes, or under soft and browned.  Meanwhile, over medium heat, saute the spinach in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add 2 minced cloves of garlic and a pinch of chili flake.   It should be totally wilted.  Set aside on a paper towel to drain.  To caramelize the onions,  melt 1 tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Add the onions with a big pinch of salt and cook down for about 30-40 minutes (just be patient, it’s worth it), until a dark brown.  Halfway through add the remaining two cloves of  minced garlic. Set aside.
2. Boil the lasagna noodles until just al dente (one minute before what the box says to cook it to).  Set aside in a bowl of cool water.
3. For the beschamel sauce:
4. Bring the milk and everything else except for the butter, flour, cheese and nutritional yeast to a simmer.  In a separate sauce pan, melt the butter and add the flour.  Stir until doughy and smelling a bit nutty (about one minute).  Strain in the milk about a half cup at a time, whisking to incorporate with the butter and flour mix.  It should be smooth and velvety, not chunky or too thick.  If it is, just add some more milk to thin it out.  Add the nutritional yeast and cheese, then set aside.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 375
6. In a lasagna baking dish, add a thin layer of sauce. Then place a layer of noodles, a bit of the vegetables, the mozzarella, dot with a third of ricotta, add the basil, and cover with a 1/4 of the beschamel.  Repeat three times, and finish with the remaining beschamel, nutritional yeast and shredded cheese.  Dot top with some pads of butter to help brown and crisp up.
7. Bake for 25 minutes, or until bubbling.  Turn the broiler on and bake for another 5 minutes, or until brown and crunchy on top.  Allow to sit for 20 minutes.  Enjoy!