Vegan Butternut Squash Casserole with Cashew Cheese, Pecans, and Leeks

Back when I was first teaching myself to cook, in my late teens, one of my favorite dishes to cook was a butternut squash casserole with goat cheese. It was simple, but delicious. Today, my version of butternut squash casserole has morphed into something a little more complex, and 100% vegan. But it's the most delicious version of it that I've ever made.

It's made with butternut squash, kale, leeks, and pecans, and tossed in a creamy sauce made of cashews. It could be described as comfort food, but it gets points for nutrition, too. This recipe has lots of vitamins A and C, plus 8 grams of protein per serving. To get to this masterpiece, I took some inspiration from this Epicurious (non-vegan) recipe, and this recipe from Oh She Glows.

This butternut squash casserole recipe is perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, or you can make it any time of year. It's a perfect side dish, but it's also great as a main course. For other vegan holiday side dish recipes, try my green bean casserole, vegan sour cream mashed potatoes, mashed butternut squash, or roasted maple-butter carrots.

This dish is perfect for holidays, but delicious any time of year!

If you're looking to save time, butternut squash can be bought pre-cut. It's more expensive, but if you're preparing a lot of foods in a single day (i.e. for Thanksgiving or Christmas), the extra cost might be worth the time savings.

If you're unfamiliar with how to cut butternut squash, start by slicing off the top and bottom. Then, cut the wider bottom apart from the narrower top section. Use a knife to slice off the skin. Cut the wide bottom in half and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy pieces. Then, cut the remaining parts into approximately 1" pieces.

With leeks, cashew cheese, kale, and pecans, this butternut squash casserole works as a vegan main dish or a side!

Leeks generally require some extra cleaning because of the sandy dirt they grow in. The dark green tops should be cut off, but you don't need to throw them away. They can be used for soup, and you can also freeze them until you're ready to use them. Once you've cut off the green tops of the leeks, cut off the roots, then slice them in half length-wise. You'll need to wash in between each layer, but try to keep them together for easier slicing. Then, you can slice the leeks into smaller pieces.

In my old non-vegan version of butternut squash casserole, I used goat cheese for its tangy, creamy crumbly qualities that balance the sweetness of the squash well. Fortunately, there are lots of great vegan nut cheeses that have a similar taste and work equally well with butternut squash. I like Treeline French-Style Soft Nut Cheese, and Miyoko's Vegan Cream Cheese (yes, they call it cream cheese, but it tastes a lot like goat cheese). You could also try making your own vegan goat cheese with this recipe (although I haven't personally tried it yet!)

With any of these cheeses, make sure they're cold when you add them to the casserole. That will help with keeping the texture crumbly rather than creamy. I use a fork or knife to help pull pieces apart.