Description

This Springtime White Lasagna is a fresh, creamy, and vibrant dish perfect for celebrating the flavors of the season. Featuring a roasted garlic and cashew-based white sauce, tender leeks, spinach, and crisp asparagus, this gluten-free lasagna offers a delightful combination of textures and tastes without traditional dairy. Ideal for a hearty yet wholesome vegetarian meal.

Ingredients

Scale

Sauce Ingredients

1 whole head of garlic (reserve 2-3 cloves)
1 cup raw unsalted cashews (soaked for 2-3 hours)
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth (low-sodium)
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
3 tablespoons arrowroot starch
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
1 teaspoon kosher salt (more to taste)
Black peppercorn (to taste)
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
2-3 cloves garlic (from the reserved garlic)

Vegetables

2-3 leeks (white and pale green parts only)
2 bunches (~600g) asparagus
1 box (283g) baby spinach

Others

1 box (~280g) no-boil lasagna sheets (gluten-free or regular)
Avocado oil (or other high-heat oil for sautéing)
Kosher salt (to taste)

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Instructions

Soak the Cashews: Soak the cashews in 2 cups of water for 2-3 hours, or overnight if preferred. After soaking, drain and set aside.
Roast the Garlic: Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C). Cut off the tip of the garlic bulb to expose the cloves, sprinkle with salt, and wrap it in foil. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes until soft and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
Prepare the Vegetables: Mince the 2-3 reserved garlic cloves. Trim the leeks, removing dark green parts and saving for stock if desired; keep the white and pale green parts. Cut leeks in half lengthwise, rinse thoroughly to remove dirt, then slice crosswise into ½-inch pieces. Snap off woody ends of asparagus and chop stalks into 1 to 1.5-inch pieces; optionally keep 3 whole asparagus stalks for garnish. Cut thicker asparagus stalk halves lengthwise.
Make the Roasted Garlic Sauce: Once roasted garlic is cool, squeeze cloves out of skins into a blender. Add soaked cashews, vegetable broth, almond milk, arrowroot starch, nutritional yeast (optional), salt, black pepper, and thyme sprigs. Blend until smooth. Pour sauce into a medium pot and gently simmer over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasoning as needed. Set aside.
Prepare the Vegetables for the Lasagna: Heat avocado oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add leeks with a pinch of kosher salt and sauté for 8-10 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic and cook for additional 2 minutes. In a separate pan, sauté spinach in batches until just wilted. Squeeze out excess water from spinach and set aside.
Assemble the Lasagna: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). In a lasagna pan, spread ½ cup of roasted garlic sauce on the bottom. Layer no-boil lasagna sheets, then alternate layers of sauce, sautéed leeks, wilted spinach, raw asparagus pieces, and noodles until all ingredients are used. Place reserved whole asparagus stalks on top as garnish if desired. Finish with remaining sauce and sprinkle with extra nutritional yeast or dairy-free cheese if desired.
Bake the Lasagna: Cover with aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 8-10 minutes until the top is golden and bubbly. Allow lasagna to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Soaking cashews overnight will make the sauce creamier and smoother.
Use no-boil lasagna noodles to save time and avoid pre-cooking.
Adjust salt and pepper according to taste after simmering the sauce.
For vegan version, use vegetable broth and omit any dairy-based toppings.
Allowing the lasagna to rest before slicing helps the layers set for cleaner cuts.
Reserve and roast garlic bulb as described to enhance the sauce’s flavor with mellow roasted garlic notes.