Do not let the photographs of this recipe fool you! These butternut stacks are easy to make and will make it look like you have chef skills. This recipe includes seasonal fall ingredients featuring sage, kale, and butternut squash. My sage kale pesto and almond ricotta recipes are featured here but you can feel free to substitute store-bought to cut down on prep time.
You can make this as an appetizer, a small plate for brunch, or make it the main entree. These butternut stacks are a whole food plant-based recipe that incorporates healthy heart-healthy fats, protein, and vegetables into one dish. You can also swap out the butternut squash for other vegetables if desired. Beet rounds, zucchini slices, or even potato rounds would work well with this recipe. Be creative!
Butternut Stacks with Almond Ricotta and Sage Kale Pesto
Equipment
- Chef's Knife
- cutting board
- Food processor if making the pesto and/or almond ricotta
Ingredients
- neck of butternut squash cut into ¾ inch rounds
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup of unhulled barley or farro
- 15.5 oz can of white beans rinsed
- 1 cup of sage kale pesto
- 1 cup almond ricotta
- 6 – 8 sage leaves for garnish optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Use sage kale pesto and almond ricotta recipes listed above to prepare ingredients if not using store bought
- Preheat the oven to 400°F
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Place butternut rounds on the parchment paper and brush each side lightly with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste*
- Bake butternut for 25 – 30 minutes until slightly browned and tender
- Rinse the barley and cook according to directions on package
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked barley, white beans, and enough sage kale pesto to coat everything well
- If you are using sage leaves for garnish crisp them up in a medium skillet with a little olive oil
- To assemble, put one round of butternut on a plate. Top round with about ¼ cup of barley and bean mixture and top with a dollop of almond ricotta. Top with another butternut round and repeat with the almond ricotta and barley bean mixture. Finish with a final round of butternut.
- Garnish with sage leaves if using and enjoy immediately
Notes
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @anothervegan.foodblog on Instagram and hashtag it #anothervegan.foodblog.