The Best Grain Free Beef Lasagna
This truly is THE BEST Whole30 Lasagna around. It tastes like normal lasagna thanks to thin slices of butternut squash which are used in place of pasta and a creamy dairy free “ricotta” that is made with blended cashews. It’s Paleo, Whole30, Specific Carbohydrate Diet Legal, Dairy Free, Grain Free, Gluten Free and Keto and guaranteed to quickly become a family favourite.
If you are looking for a grain and dairy free lasagna, I don’t think it can get any better then this recipe, bold statement right? I stand by it because these lasagna is SO GOOD.
There are layers of crumbly meat and tomato sauce, a deliciously creamy “ricotta” layer and thin sheets of butternut squash.
I don’t think I have been this excited about a new recipe in awhile. This Whole30 lasagna is legit. I have been wanting to make a grain and dairy free lasagna for ages but the many attempts I made with slices of zucchini as noodles just didn’t seem to cut it.
I found precut butternut squash sheet at the grocery store here in London, which inspired me to create this dish. They act perfectly as noodles, holding their shape and keeping the layers separated once baked.
Don’t worry if you can’t find the butternut squash sheets, you can easily make them at home with a large butternut squash. Ideally try to find a squash with a long shaft, peel off the outer skin and then using a vegetable peeler, cut long rectangular, thin slices. The thinner you can cut the sheets of butternut squash the better, otherwise they will take quite a long time to bake and become tender.
I used a combination of beef and pork in the meat sauce, but you can stick to just one or the other if you prefer. Just make sure when cooking the meat that you really break it up into a crumbly texture.
The cashew cream is heavenly. I was so happy with how well it worked in this recipe, and decided to stir in some basil for an extra burst of fresh flavour.
When assembling the lasagna, I recommend putting meat sauce on the bottom and then a layer of the butternut squash, as the sauce will help the sheets of squash to cook quicker, because there is nothing worse than crunchy butternut squash.
I froze portions of the lasagna and am happy to report that it actually freezes really well too! So you could double the recipe and then freeze one for another time. I suspect that freezing it after cooking might work better but either way should be fine.
Here are a few of my other favourite Italian recipes:
- Chicken Cacciatore
- Bolognese Sauce
- Eggplant Polpette (aka Meatless Meatballs)
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Butternut Squash Ravioli with Kale Pesto
- Braised Lamb Ragu
- The BEST Italian Meatballs
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
The Best Whole30 Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 500 grams ground pork
- 500 grams ground beef
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp fresh oregano
- 1/2 tbsp chili flakes
- 3 cups tomato sauce (or 600 grams canned tomatoes)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup cashews soaked in boiling water for min 10 minutes
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2/3 cup almond milk
- 2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh basil
- 10-12 butternut squash sheets
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius (375 degrees Fahrenheit)
- In a large pot saute the diced onion and garlic in olive oil for a few minutes until the onion begins to soften.
- Add in the ground meat, sprinkle with salt and using a wooden spoon break the meat up into a fine crumble. Cook for approximately 10 minutes until the meat begins to brown.
- Once the meat is completely cooked through stir in the oregano, chili flakes, tomato paste and tomato sauce. Leave to simmer for 10 minutes.
- In a high speed blender combine the drained cashews, garlic and almond milk and blend until completely smooth, there should be no small bits. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir through the fresh basil.
- In a 9 x 5 inch baking dish start by spooning in a layer of the tomato meat sauce. Place the butternut squash sheets overtop of the sauce, followed by another layer of tomato meat sauce and then a thin layer of the cashew cream. Repeat layering 2 more times and finish with a layer of cashew cheese on top.
- Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes until a golden brown crust has formed and the butternut squash sheets are tender. Keep an eye on the lasagna while it bakes to ensure it doesn't brown too quickly on top (if it does, loosely cover it with a sheet of tin foil). Sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Delicious! I could not get the squash slices as thin as I would have liked. I decided to boil them for a bit because I was afraid they would not cook well. I came out perfect. Will definitely make again!!
So delicious! My husband and I were looking for new Whole30 meal ideas and a neighbor sent us this recipe. I doubled the recipe and it was perfect for meal prep. I would recommend adding some additional salt and pepper though.
This recipe deserves 10 stars just for the ‘ricotta’ recipe!
I had to switch things up because of what I had on hand but the ricotta on top made it lasagna. I used an immersion blender, so it was still a little chunky like the homemade ricotta we made when I was a kid.
Sooooooo delicious!
Thank you, Every Last Bite!
😬😬 the recipe says a 9×5… which is a loaf pan.
The pictures look like an 8×8. I made it in a 9×5, and I had so much material left I could make a second one.
Maybe correct the written part of the recipe..?
The use of butternut squash sheets as a pasta substitute is a brilliant idea. The combination of beef and pork in the meat sauce sounds delicious, and the cashew cream adds a creamy and rich texture.
The use of butternut squash sheets as a pasta substitute is a brilliant idea. The combination of beef and pork in the meat sauce sounds delicious, and the cashew cream adds a creamy and rich texture.
This dish is fantastic!
It takes some work (but so does regular lasagna) as I have never found sheets of butternut squash. I need to start with a whole squash and use a micro plane to slice it (the trick is to microwave the squash for a few minutes first to make it easier to peel and cut). I always make this in a double batch and freeze one for another day. Fabulous winter favorite!
Hi there, question, would it be better to freeze the recipe immediately after making/before baking? And then bake once you are ready to pull it out of the freezer? Or would it be better to bake first, then freeze? Really excited to try this recipe!!
This was an incredibly delicious lasagne! Thank you so much! You are a creative genius to substitute the pasta sheets with the butternut squash and cashew + Almond milk for the white sauce. I am a London, UK girl but couldn’t find the butternut squash slices but took your advice and baked the butternut squash in the oven for 10 mins before slicing thinly. Perfect dinner for a cold winter’s evening
This was an incredibly delicious lasagne! Thank you so much! You are a creative genius to substitute the pasta sheets with the butternut squash and cashew + Almond milk for the white sauce. I am a London, UK girl but couldn’t find the butternut squash slices but took your advice and baked the butternut squash in the oven for 10 mins before slicing thinly. Perfect dinner for a cold winter’s evening
Great recipe. Good flavour and the chilli flakes give it some bite.
I made this while on Whole30 and it totally satisfied the craving for pasta/lasagna! It was so good and it’s been added to our rotation even not on Whole30.
My entire family loves this recipe. Thank you so much for creating these yummy and healthy meals. 🥰🥰
SO SO GOOD! I ran out of cashew cream and ended up putting a little sour cream instead, so next time I’ll make extra cashew cream. Also I went overboard with chilli flakes and used butternut squash noodles instead of sheets and it was STILL delicious!
I rarely ever leave recipe reviews however this one is exceptional and the whole world needs to know about it. You can easily turn it vegan by changing out the meat for some meatless crumbles, but either way it is amazing. My whole family loves this and my husband can be picky. I’m making this again tonight for the 3rd time in the last 6 weeks and needed to do my part in gratitude by writing a review. I do need to say that I made one change though—I added nutritional yeast flakes to the cashew filling and it made it just that much cheesier.
I bought a mandolin slicer specifically to try this recipe and it was so worth it!! My husband and I have been on a Whole30 this month and I wanted to try something new. This was delicious. Like others, I added a little extra garlic & herbs, and on the first cheese layer I used Kite Hill almond ricotta (since I had some on hand) and the cashew ricotta from the recipe on the other layers – it made it so creamy! Very filling, too. Will definitely be making this again, thank you!!
This was unreal. I doubled the cashew cream and added oregano and Italian seasoning. Used ground chicken and mushrooms in lieu of beef and cut the squash into sheets vs using a peeler. A family favourite. Thanks, Carmen!
This was sooo incredible, thank you! I never thought anything could replace ricotta cheese in my life. Note: I doubled the garlic, herbs (oregano, basil + added a little fresh thyme and pinch of fresh rosemary cause I had it on hand), and did 1 1/2 onion.
Is this made with unsweetened almond milk? Thanks
Yes I recommend using unsweetened almond milk for this recipe
Excellent and very adaptable. I made it meatless but added ground tofu which I browned in oil with garlic and a little red pepper for spice.
Made this lasagna tonight for supper. It’s delicious!!! 😋
Insanely amazing. Wow! The squash can be a bit tricky if slicing yourself, but even with some pieces that seemed a little too thick, it was fine and not crunchy. The cheese sauce is incredible. Overall this dish is fantastic! We also added GF breadcrumbs on top and I think it took it to another level. Loved it!
This lasagna is outstanding! The only thing I found challenging was getting the butternut squash cut just right and not to thick…but i am so impressed at how delicious this recipe is….thanks for sharing!❤
A very tasty lasagna. I usually make a little more cashew cheese than what the recipe calls for.
this might be a dumb question – but do you boil the water, then pour it into a bowl and let the cashews sit in in for 10 minutes? or do you add the cashews to the boiling water on the stove and keep it on the heat to boil for 10 minutes?
I have this same question!
I love lasagna and I am so glad I found this recipe. I substituted the meat for shiitake mushrooms to make this vegan. My wife and I were floored! Flavor and texture and spot on! Sooo much better than the zucchini version. Thank you!
I made this dish twice, family couldn’t get enough. Bolognaise is outstanding. Thank you for these recipes during quarantine. I look forward to cooking something different each day while staying keto and healthy. Stay well
I was looking for a healthy lasagna option and this did the trick. I made it with a side of garlic roasted brussel sprouts and ended up mixing them into my piece of lasagna and it took this tasty dish to another level! Definitely will be making this combo again! Thank you for the recipe!
This was so good! I cut the butternut squash with a vegetable peeler and it came out perfectly. Thank you for this recipie!
This is one of my favorite recipes of all time! I use a large pyrex casserole dish, so to get the layers right I double the “cheese” and I think I use more butternut squash, but since I slice it myself on a mandolin, one squash it enough for at least 3 lasagnas. I’ve shared it with people who eat dairy and gluten and they loved it completely. Totally foolproof recipe, I love it.
Yea!! So happy to hear that!
If I freeze this dish, how do you recommend reheating?
It freezes really well. I would recommend bringing it out approximately an hour ahead of time to thaw and then baking it in the oven.
Probably my favorite recipes of yours! When something is tasty in our house, we refer to it as “humming food.” MMMMM mmmmm MMMMM! A pleasant change up from watery zucchini lasanga.
Love that!! So happy to hear its humming food worthy 😃
I’ve been making this recipe since I found you on Instagram! Soooo yummy. I even got a vegetable hater to eat it (and love it!!). I recently made it and couldn’t find butternut squash at the grocery store so I used sweet potato. Just as yummy 🙂 thank you so much for this recipe!
That’s really good to know that it also works with sweet potato, thanks for the feedback Katie!
We love this but did you really mean a 9×5 pan – it doesn’t look 9×5 in the pictures.
So happy to hear that you enjoyed it! Yes the pan looks deceivingly large in the photo. I make it in a smaller pan because I like to stack it quite high but you could easily make it in a large pan with fewer layers.
This recipe really exceeded my expectations! So good! I used a mandoline to make the butternut slices and they came out perfect.
How do you find the nutritional content for calories etc?
I use an app called RecipeIQ for nutrition, just take a photo of the recipe and it will calculate everything for you.
Where do you buy your butternut squash sheets?
It depends on where you live, but if you cant find the precut sheets then you can bake the neck of a butternut squash in the oven for 10 minutes, that will make it alot easier to cut the thin slices with a knife
This recipe is a serious game changer! I was meal prepping for the week and had to actively stop myself from eating more than one serving or I’d be missing a meal later on. Doubling and/or tripling next time so I can freeze some for later!
Haha so happy that you enjoyed it!! It freezes so well so I highly recommend filling your freezer with it 😀
This dish is incredible!!! I hadn’t had lasagna in years due to a dairy allergy, and I loved your version so much! Using the butternut squash in place of lasagna noodles is so genius!
Thank you Kristen!!
Can you use cashew milk instead of soaking the cashews ? I ran out of cashews but have store bought cashew milk
No the cashews create a thick cream blend, unfortunately cashew milk will be too watery. That being said you could use cashew milk in place of the almond milk.
Hello, I made this with meatloaf mix and it was absolutely delicious!! Thank you for the recipe!
Awesome!! So happy to hear that!
I made this 2 days ago and we love it. It holds well for leftovers too. It was just very simple and delicious. I liked it so much that I’ll make it again for sure and also probably try a vegetarian version as well. Definitely a good recipe to have on hand.
Yea!! So happy to hear that it turned out well! The leftovers freeze really well too in case you have too much.
I really want to make this but is it really only for a 9×5 baking dish? How many quarts is that? It seems so small? If I did 9×13 would I double the recipe?
It is quite small because there is a lot of layers, I would recommend doubling the recipe if you want to make it in a 9x13https://www.everylastbite.com/wp-admin/edit-comments.php?paged=1#comments-form
Do you have a suggestion for an alternate for the cashew filling? I have a nut allergy in our family. Thank you!
This is absolutely delicious and I will definitely make it again and again!
I am so happy to hear that you made it and it was a hit!!
I’m totally in love with this idea!!!!
Hahaha thank you! It really does taste just like normal lasagna!