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Butternut Squash and Zucchini Lasagna, hold the marinara

October 15, 2014 By Jessica

My kids, and husband love lasagna. It brings everyone to the table. Faster than usual. I actually don’t even need to yell “dinner”. They come running in on their own, eagerly awaiting a big square piece of lasagna to dig into. I think it’s on everyone’s comfort food list.

The thing is, how do you make it gluten free, dairy free, soy free yet taste great?

This recipe (I posted on Foodista a while ago) somehow slipped my radar. I don’t know how I didn’t posted this recipe to my blog! After receiving many emails for a lasagna recipe post, here it is … butternut squash and zucchini lasagna that brings this Italian classic to a whole new level! Without the gluten, without the dairy, without the soy and without the tomatoes. Why no tomatoes you ask?

Two of my boys cannot have tomatoes anymore. We realized this while keeping a food journal (to tracking health issues and/or behaviors that come up). We noticed a correlation between the rashes on one of my twin boys and on my teenage son when they would have something with tomatoes.

(Off topic here – food journal is an excellent way of determining what foods are affecting you)

And so the cream sauce had it’s moment to shine. It had us forget about the old tomato.

Though this is not your traditional lasagna, you won’t miss the marinara sauce, I assure you. The creamy sauce smothered over these seasonal vegetables, with layers of pasta in every bite, will have you feeling “who needs marinara anyway?”

In addition to gluten, dairy (casein), soy, and pistachio allergens … tomato is crossed off the list. And all the recipes with. I just needed to think outside of the (marinara) box … an alfredo sauce in lasagna – mmm, what could be better?

If you can tolerate tomatoes, see my marinara sauce post which I used to make for my spaghetti and meatballs (click here for the marinara recipe) before our discovery last year. Now, I make spaghetti and meatballs with a tomato-free BBQ sauce, another un-traditional one. Will post that soon if that is something you would like.

I’m telling you this un-traditional lasagna will surprise you. It’s like when you see that dress on the hanger and it looks eh, not-so-fab, but then when you try it on it looks fabulous. This is that dress.

Autumn days like these we need creamy, gooey, hearty, and downright delicious comfort food – with a twist, of course – enjoy!

 

 

Serves: 8-10

Need: 12 x 9 inch oven safe casserole dish about 3 inches deep, and baking sheet

Ingredients:

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, pitted, thinly sliced (see my note)
4 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise (as thin or thick as you like)
1 1/2 boxes Tinkyada Organic Rice Lasagna (http://www.tinkyada.com/)
1/2 cup Daiya Cheddar Style Shredded
3 tablespoons Daiya Cheddar Style Wedge, crumbled, or grated
1/2 bunch fresh sage leaves (about 20 leaves), stems removed
4 tablespoons Earth Balance Soy Free Spread PLUS extra for greasing dish
2 tablespoons brown rice flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
2 cups coconut milk, unflavored (I use So Delicious)
1/2 cup unflavored almond milk (I use So Delicious)
3 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed black pepper
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
1 1/2 tablespoons arrowroot (or cornstarch)
1 tablespoon water

About a tablespoon of olive oil for roasting


Preparation:


Preheat Oven to 400 degrees F

Grease the casserole dish with some spread.

Note: Peeling butternut squash can be a chore, and dangerous, when using a knife. Instead use a wide (2 inch) peeler and wear gloves (I use latex free gloves so that it doesn’t affect my food). Butternut squash, and all other squashes release a sappy, sticky liquid when cut into that will make your hands feel tight and uncomfortable, in addition to an orange sticky film left on the skin that is very hard to scrub off, hence the gloves.

The best way to do peel squash: Rinse the outer skin, pat dry. With a sharp knife, cut it across (horizontal) the middle on a cutting board. Hold one piece and begin to peel straight down as far as you can. Continue until it has been peeled all around. Turn over and peel any remaining sections around the end. The same for the other piece. Then cut in half (vertically) and scoop out seeds with a tablespoon or soup spoon. You can also save the seeds for roasting on a separate baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I always line my baking sheets with parchment because baking supplies are usually aluminum and will impart a flavor to foods, in addition to its heavy metal, a neurotoxin.

butternut  squash

The same for zucchini, keep the gloves on. It also release that sappy liquid when cut into.

from jessica's kitchen butternut squash lasagna

For roasting vegetables:

Place sliced zucchini, and butternut squash onto a parchment lined baking sheet, in a single layer. Use additional baking sheets if needed. Sprinkle a teaspoon of salt and all the thyme evenly over vegetables, drizzle with olive oil. Not a heavy drizzle, it does not have to cover every piece. Using your hands, coat vegetables evenly.

butternut squash lasagna

Roast for 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Keep the oven on. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F

For the lasagna sheets:

Set a large pot of water on medium high heat, when boiling add a few tablespoons of salt (it may seem like a lot of salt for the water, however, the water should taste like the ocean for the pasta to absorb flavor). Gradually put lasagna sheets into the boiling water, do not push down. As they begin to soften they will drop down into the boiling water. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until soft.

Note: It does not have to be cooked for serving since we are baking in the oven after this process. Do not keep the pasta sitting in the water while off the heat, it will get very starchy.

Drain, set aside for assembling.

Note: This is gluten free pasta we are working with so don’t worry about sheets breaking. Just use those for bottom layers and save the prettier pieces for the top layer.

Meanwhile for the sauce:

Mix water and arrowroot in a small bowl, set aside.

This step is sort of like making a roux…
In a medium saucepan set over medium high heat, add soy free spread. When it melts add brown rice flour, whisk until smooth then lower heat to medium. Add coconut milk, almond milk, all seasonings and remaining salt, whisk until blended well. When you begin to see bubbles form quickly whisk in the arrowroot mixture. Continue to whisk for about a minute, the mixture will start to thicken to the consistency of a cream sauce. Turn off heat and set aside. It will thicken more as it cools.

Note: I add fresh sage instead of using all of it ground because I find ground sage overpowers the cream sauce, and can be a bit of a pushover to the mild flavor of butternut squash.

To assemble the lasagna:

First layer: add a third of the “cream” sauce to the greased casserole dish, then spread out about 8 sage leaves, now add 2 layers of lasagna pasta. Second layer: add a layer of roasted zucchini , then spread evenly a 1/4 cup of cheddar style shredded cheese and 5 sage leaves. Third layer: add one row of lasagna pasta sheets, then a layer of butternut squash, then again, spread evenly a 1/4 cup cheddar style shredded cheese and about 8 sage leaves. Top layer: add remaining “cream” sauce, then 2 layers lasagna pasta sheets (the pretty ones!), then (I crumbled it by hand) cheddar cheese directly over the top and place 4 sage leaves evenly spaced across. If the fresh sage leaves do not lay flat wet the back of the leave and press onto the pasta. It should stick. Keep in mind the sage leaves will curl up when baked from the dry heat, which is just fine, and looks really pretty. If you do not want it to curl, place the sage leaves on the lasagna the last 10 minutes of baking time.

Place the lasagna dish on a baking sheet just in case it drips. I haven’t ever had any drips, but I still do this just in case.

Bake for 70-80 minutes. It will get golden on top with some crispy “cheese” pieces, and cream will be bubbling out the sides. Let it cool for 10-20 minutes so the sauce redistributes and it’s not scalding. Serve hot.

from jessica's kitchen butternut squash lasagna

Note: This dish can be frozen before baking, seal with a few layers of plastic wrap then foil. Let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight before baking as noted above.

Final Note: The brands I mention do well in the recipes I create and share with you. I don’t believe just saying “dairy free cheese”, or “gluten free flour”, etc. will give you the same recipe turnout and can be misleading considering all the different variables. Allergen-free cooking is more specific than that, so I want to make the cooking process as simple (and easy) as possible. If there are brands that you think are fabulous please do share! I am always on the lookout for new gf/cf/sf products 🙂   -Jessica

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Filed Under: main dishes, pasta, vegan Tagged With: dairy-free, gluten-free, main dishes, soy-free, vegan

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Comments

  1. Chris says

    October 16, 2014 at 7:07 am

    This looks delicious! We are big fans of lasagna too lol!
    Reply
  2. Jennifer says

    October 16, 2014 at 8:38 am

    Love the cream sauce idea. This looks sooo good!
    Reply
  3. Lisa says

    October 16, 2014 at 11:04 am

    Hi yes I noticed the tomato thing, because you have some great ones you made before with tomato. But I totally understand and it's great that your kiddos are better now! This one looks fun to make, so I probably will look to within these next two weeks (ah thank you!) - one thing - is there any way I can add garlic in this one? We've been trying to eat more garlic for various reasons, and I don't want to just tell my kids to add garlic powder so lazily! And when slicing the zuchini. If I do so very thinly (thanks to my new mandoline), should I keep the same layer ratio? Or more layers? And lastly, is butternut squash the only squash you recommend? ANy other options? Thx, Jess!
    Reply
    • Jessica says

      October 17, 2014 at 4:18 pm

      Hi Lisa, Great questions! For the garlic - yes fresh garlic would be yummy, and so healthy for you, good choice! Slicing with the mandoline allows for 2 layers instead of one on the zucchini and still cook the same amount of time. You can use pumpkin in here too, 1 1/2 cans or 2-3 cups roasted - just add 1 teaspoon of each seasoning to the pumpkin, mix it up before assembling. Sunshine squash (relative to the kabotcha) is also a nice substitute (roasted also) with added seasoning, as well as sweet potato (thinly sliced without added seasonings). Let me know how it turns out! :)
      Reply
  4. Kell says

    October 16, 2014 at 11:05 am

    another home run!
    Reply
  5. Kathy says

    October 16, 2014 at 12:06 pm

    I made this dish last year when I saw it on foodista and loved it. My family had the same reaction as yours. Everyone loves it. It's a real hit.
    Reply
  6. Yigal says

    October 17, 2014 at 7:11 am

    That picture makes me want some now, I know what I'm making tonight! Thanks Jessica!
    Reply
  7. triw gregg says

    October 17, 2014 at 9:41 am

    really clever
    Reply
  8. Susan says

    October 19, 2014 at 10:06 am

    I just discovered your blog, and am excited to make this and your other recipes! You make gluten free dairy free look like we aren't missing a thing :)
    Reply
    • Jessica says

      October 19, 2014 at 4:58 pm

      Thank you for visiting, happy to see you here!
      Reply
  9. Ricki says

    October 29, 2014 at 5:09 pm

    I took a chance on making this for dinner with my limited cooking skills and wanted to tell you it came out exquisite! My sauce was a little lumpy but nobody noticed. Thanks for sharing a tomato free lasagna we enjoyed!
    Reply
    • Jessica says

      October 29, 2014 at 8:44 pm

      Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Ricki!!
      Reply
  10. Jen Blauman says

    December 1, 2014 at 10:07 am

    I made this for dinner last night after seeing your recipe in your Blogger Spotlight feature on Once a Month Meals, which is a beautiful story about your family by the way, I am eating leftover now and am licking my lips again. My husband and son cannot eat tomatoes so when I saw this I was excited to try your recipe. I will be trying more of your recipes and look forward to more in my email box. :)
    Reply
    • Jessica says

      December 1, 2014 at 12:23 pm

      Thank you Jen for posting your sweet comment. Happy to hear you loved it as much as we do :)
      Reply
  11. Christina says

    January 20, 2015 at 11:07 am

    What's so nice about this is that it's not cliche and overly cheesy, but the vegetables stand out, the squash and zucchini are the stars here. Love that!
    Reply
  12. Penny says

    March 1, 2015 at 8:02 pm

    I wanted to share that I went through the trouble of making this today as I cannot eat tomatoes and do you miss lasagna and I'm happy I did. It did take me a couple of hours to prepare this from start to finish but I did make a big casserole dish full for another meal. I look forward to leftovers tomorrow. This recipe has definitely satisfied my lasagna craving sans tomato!
    Reply
    • Jessica says

      March 2, 2015 at 6:50 pm

      Penny, I love hearing things like this. Thank you for sharing and happy to hear it satisfied your lasagna craving!
      Reply

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Welcome!

Hi! I'm Jessica, welcome to my blog! I'm a wife and mother of four (all boys, including twins. Did not see that coming!) who loves to eat. Discovering food intolerances in my family and myself had me think about cooking differently with an emphasis on nutrition, but not any less deliciously. No, won't settle for that, neither will my kids! Here you will find simple, healthy, seasonal recipes we love that are gluten, dairy, and soy free. Many are also egg free, nut free, plant-based and/or grain free, given our evolving dietary lifestyle. Even though we live a life of dietary restrictions, my passion for food keeps me on a constant quest to create tasty recipes or adapt our favorite recipes from my stack of cookbooks to bring back the joy of eating again, without sacrificing flavor. Hope you find some inspiration and recipes to enjoy ... thanks for stopping by!

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