Low-Carb Pumpkin Lasagne
This post is sponsored by Vitamix.
Who doesn’t love a good lasagne? Although a traditional lasagne is far from vegan with its mincemeat filling and layers of cheese, this pumpkin lasagne recipe pushes the boat out with amazing flavours and creativity that rivals the Italian favourite. Supposedly it’s a taboo to mess around with traditional recipes, but life is too short to be eating the same boring thing each day. Personally, I adore playing around with new, plant-based flavour combinations like in this recipe where I have meddled with the basics of a lasagne. I swapped out the marinara tomato sauce with a homemade garlicky pumpkin sauce and blended up a basil cashew cream in my Vitamix. I also replaced the wheaty pasta sheets with healthier zucchini/courgette ribbons. Might sound a little overwhelming, but it’s really simple!
I think this pumpkin lasagne might be the new best thing in The Hungry Herbivores kitchen!
Simple recipes are key. At The Hungry Herbivores, I like to stick to ingredients that everyone is familiar with. Seeing dried wakame, black sesame butter or yuzu juice in the recipe can be an immediate turn off. I strive to attract and include everyone in my recipes, not intimidate them with my superior knowledge of food. (I’m winging it really!) There are three components to this healthy pumpkin and zucchini lasagne, two of which I made with my Vitamix Professional Series 750. This amazing machine blends up the pumpkin sauce and the cashew basil cream perfectly, creating the perfect texture—not a grain in sight. I recently released my caramel apple milkshake recipe using my Vitamix and was super impressed with the results, and it has impressed me once again with this recipe. Using minimal equipment in my recipes is key, too! Since the Vitamix is so versatile, it’s super easy to create the basis of your recipes with. This lasagne only uses the Vitamix, a sharp knife, a mandolin (or you can use the sharp knife!), a baking dish and an oven! Simple!
I love a cheeky healthy twist in my recipes, but this one has particularly outdone itself. Since this is a 100% vegan blog, there of course isn’t going to be any cheese in this recipe, therefore, you can instead find a healthier alternative of basil cashew cheese sauce! Mm, it tastes as good as it sounds. Cashews are still high in fat, but they’re the fats that are great for your body (in moderation of course!). It’s also becoming more and more common to avoid gluten, so I got creative with the courgettes/zucchinis! Using a mandolin, I sliced the vegetable lengthways to create long, thin strips to use instead of wheat-based pasta sheets. This is a healthier alternative, but also added another great flavour to the dish.
I’d love you to try out this amazing seasonal Italian dish with a twist, let me know what you thought in the comments!
- 1 large pumpkin/squash, (7oz worth when peeled and cut into wedges)
- 1½ cups almond milk
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1½ cups cashews, soaked overnight or 10 mins in very hot water
- ½ packed cup fresh basil
- 3 tbsp. nutritional yeast flakes
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ cup water
- 6 courgettes/zucchinis
- Pumpkin Seeds, optional
- Preheat your oven to 375F/190C/Gas Mark 5.
- Peel and dehull your pumpkin/squash and cut into chunks. Place on a baking tray, drizzle with a little olive oil and bake for 30 minutes, or until soft.
- While your pumpkin is cooking, using a madoline, slice the zucchinis lengthways to create long thin strips. Set aside until you are ready to assemble the lasagne. You can also use a sharp knife to do this if you don't have a madoline, just be sure to cut the strips very thin.
- Drain your cashews and place them in a high-speed blender along with all the other cashew cheese ingredients. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Set aside in a bowl.
- Once your pumpkin is cooked, transfer to your blender and add in the rest of the pumpkin sauce ingredients. Blend until a thick, smooth sauce. (I used this Vitamix for both sauces)
- In a baking dish, place ½ cup of the pumpkin sauce at the bottom and spread. Cover the sauce in one layer of courgette/zucchini strips, then spread another ½ cup pumpkin sauce on top, then a ¼ cup of the basil cashew cheese sauce. Repeat this process until you have used up the zucchini and the sauces.
- Bake the lasagne for 55-60 minutes. It should brown and crisp slightly on top and be hot all the way through.
- Remove from the oven, let cool slightly before sprinkling with pumpkin leaves, extra basil and a little nutritional yeast. Serve!
I’ｖe гeаd several good stuff here. Ⅾefinitely pгice bookmагking
for revisіting. I wonder how muϲh effort you pⅼace to make suｃh a great informative
ᴡebsite.
Thank you !