Butternut Squash Lasagna with Spinach
This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share a commission.
Butternut Squash Lasagna with Spinach is an amazing fall casserole combining lasagna noodles with a creamy butternut squash sauce and a cheesy spinach layer. This meatless lasagna has plenty of protein to fill you up and so much flavor!
Butternut Squash Lasagna
Oh, how I adore butternut squash! I grew up eating this particular squash in the fall, and it’s funny how different I consumed it. We used to just cut it in fourths, de-seed it, and bake it plain. Yes, weird, but I have great memories of how much I loved it.
Maybe it’s because I deprived myself of so many wonderful things back then – you know the fat-free phase of eating that was crazy dumb. But now I know that a healthy dose of olive oil is okay, and it’s all about flavor.
Take for instance this lasagna. Who would have dreamed that you could make a lovely sauce out of butternut squash for this Italian favorite? It wasn’t in my realm of eating back in the day. But now? I’m always looking for ways of incorporating vegetables into my cooking to add nutrition and flavor.
Why We Love This Recipe:
- A labor of love. Yes, this one takes a little bit more time than some of my recipes, but it’s a labor of love. So since we’re working hard, I highly recommend making a double batch!
- Incredible flavor. Roasting the butternut squash adds incredible flavor to the velvety sauce. Plus, you can’t go wrong when using ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese!
- A meatless recipe. While we do enjoy eating meat, I try to make a meatless recipe quite often. For all you meat lovers, you won’t miss it in this lasagna. Trust me!
- Makes great meal prep. Leftovers are just as good (or better) than eating this fresh out of the oven. Just slice it, and pack it for lunches. SO good!
Ingredient Notes:
- Butternut Squash – This is obviously the key ingredient for the sauce, and you will need one large squash. My current method of cutting this squash is to chop off both ends and then use a potato peeler to remove the skins. Then chop it up into chunks, and remove the seeds.
- Spinach Leaves – Four packed cups of spinach wilt down very quickly, and provide lots of nutrients and taste for the filling. I normally snap off the stems for a better mouth feel.
- Lasagna Noodles – I used a square 9×9 dish and made three layers – so a total of nine lasagna noodles. Simple math! But you could go for an additional layer if you like more pasta. You could also use a no-boil lasagna noodle, for ease. (I’ve never tried them in this recipe, however.)
- Ricotta Cheese – I used full-fat ricotta for an extra creamy taste, but you could also use a lighter version. Ricotta cheese makes this recipe so unbelievably creamy and delicious!
- Milk – Use whatever milk you keep stocked. This will thin the sauce a bit, and you can use more or less according to your desired consistency.
- Nutmeg – This spice goes perfectly with the butternut squash and gives it that amazing fall taste.
Make-Ahead: This lasagna can be prepared on one day, stored in the refrigerator overnight, and then baked the following day. (Add extra bake time!)
How to make Butternut Squash Lasagna
Step 1
Prep. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2
Roast squash. Chop off both ends of the butternut squash, and peel the entire thing. Then chop into chunks and remove the seeds. Spread chunks on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Bake for 30 minutes or until fork tender. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.
Step 3
Make butternut squash sauce. Place the cooked squash chunks in a food processor (or blender) and add the milk. (You may need extra milk to thin it.) Blend until smooth, and add it to a bowl along with the ricotta cheese, nutmeg, and salt and pepper. Stir until well combined.
Step 4
Cook spinach and garlic. While the squash is cooking, sauté the spinach and garlic in some olive oil until spinach is wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste. This should only take a few minutes. Remove spinach to a mixing bowl.
Step 5
Combine cheese layer ingredients. To the spinach, add the egg, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and freshly shredded parmesan cheese. Stir until well combined.
Step 6
Cook lasagna noodles. Meanwhile, cook the lasagna noodles in some well-salted water on the stovetop. When they are al dente (don’t overcook!), remove to a strainer. Then place on some paper towels to absorb some liquid.
Step 7
Assemble lasagna. Using a square 9×9 dish or similar, spread a small amount of the butternut squash sauce over the bottom of the dish. Then lay three lasagna noodles on top, followed by more squash sauce and then some of the cheese and spinach layer.
Repeat the lasagna noodles, squash layer, and cheese layer two more times. Then top with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Optional: reserve some spinach and lay that on top for presentation purposes! 😀
Step 8
Bake. Bake the lasagna at 350 degrees, uncovered, for approximately 30 minutes or until cooked through and piping hot.
Step 9
EAT. Serve with a side salad and bread.
I highly encourage you to get out of your comfort zone and try this unique flavor fest. It’s amazing, and I want you to try it when fall produce is at its best!
For other amazing recipes incorporating butternut squash, try my Autumn Squash Soup or the best Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta!
More Pasta Recipes:
Comfort food and pasta go hand-in-hand for me.
Recipe FAQs:
Yes, if you are trying to cut calories and fat from this recipe, then you can definitely use cottage cheese instead of ricotta. Beware that the lasagna may be a bit more runny, but the flavor will still be great.
Place the lasagna in either a throw-away container or a glass dish. Wrap tightly with cling wrap, and place in a freezer bag. Label it with the recipe’s name and date, and place in the freezer.
My best suggestion is to let the lasagna thaw out in the refrigerator which may take 24 hours or more. Then bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees, cover, and remove cover for another 10 minutes. If baking a frozen lasagna, bake at a lower temp (325 degrees) for an hour or more, check to see if the center is unthawed, and then raise oven temp to 350 degrees and bake again until piping hot.
What to serve with lasagna?
Serve lasagna with a green side salad and some bread. The following recipes would be great choices.
Kitchen Tools used for this recipe: (Affiliate Links)
- Baking Sheet
- Food Processor
- I used a 9×9 inch baking dish that can be found at World Market.
xoxo ~Sue
Roasted Butternut Squash Lasagna with Spinach
Ingredients
NOTE: This recipe requires a square pan (9×9 inch pan)
For the butternut squash sauce:
- 7-8 cups cubed butternut squash – from one large squash
- 2 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 3/4-1 cup milk – or more if needed to thin sauce
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
For the spinach and cheese layer:
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cups spinach leaves – packed
- 2 cloves garlic – minced
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper – to taste
- 1 large egg – beaten
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Other ingredients:
- 9 lasagna noodles – cooked to al dente
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
For the butternut squash sauce:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Peel the butternut squash with a potato peeler. Then chop the squash in bite sized chunks, removing the seeds. Place the squash on the baking sheet, and drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cooked through (fork tender). Remove from oven and cool slightly.
- Spoon the cooked squash into a blender or food processor. Add in the milk and pulse until smooth. Add additional milk if needed to thin the sauce more. Place in bowl and add in the ricotta cheese, nutmeg, and additional salt and pepper as needed.
For the spinach and cheese layer:
- While the squash is baking, prepare spinach and cheese layer. Over medium heat, saute spinach and garlic in some olive oil until spinach is wilted, approximately 3-4 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. (Reserve a little bit of wilted spinach for the top of the lasagna, if desired.)
- Combine the cooked spinach, ricotta cheese, mozzarelly cheese, parmesan cheese, and the egg. Mix well.
The remaining process:
- Cook the lasagna noodles in a large stock pan with well salted water. When noodles are cooked to al dente, remove from the stove, and strain. Let the noodles dry and cool.
- To assemble, spoon some of the squash sauce on the bottom of a 9×9 dish. Lay lasagna noodles on top (cutting off a couple of inches if needed to fit), followed by 1/3 of the spinach and cheese mixture, followed by 1/3 of the butternut squash puree. Repeat until all ingredients are used – three layers. Then top with the remaining mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese. Add some reserved wilted spinach, if desired.
- Bake for approximately 30 minutes on 350 degrees, or until cooked through and piping hot.
Notes
- Make-Ahead: This lasagna can be prepared on one day, stored in the refrigerator overnight, and then baked the following day. (Add extra bake time!)
Nutrition
Just made it. Haven’t eaten it yet. Tomorrow. But please add right at top of recipe that an 8 x 8 pan is used. That’s critical as lasagna pans are 9×12. I did increase the squash a bit before knowing this so hopefully will be enough filling. I even skimmed the directions but missed the pan size. Needs to be at top!!
I’ll add that to the top of the recipe card. I assumed that readers would see by the step-by-step photos – and also read the recipe directions where it clearly states the size of the pan. I hope you enjoyed the lasagna!
Made this recently, and I love it! I added sliced onion to the pan before wilting the spinach. I think adding sauteed mushrooms to this would also be an amazing addition.
LOVED every bit of it! I did add meat (I lack protein) and it was great!! however, I did use low-fat cheeses and for me it was great because it didn’t water down the flavors. Nutmeg goes a long way, and it gives it all the flavor it needs. I’m amazed!!!
So great to hear, Carmen! Thanks for giving it a try! 🙂
I made it with sliced and drained zucchini slices instead of pasta plates and my meat-eating husband had a second serving. The butternut squash pure turned out to be quite runny after lasagna was cooked assembled, even though I added just a little splash of oat milk much less than advised, but the taste of the lasagna was so delicious !
Hi Jo. I’m wondering if you used the correct amount of squash? Mine has never turned out runny.
Great recipes, my husband and I loved it. I used oven ready- no boil lasagna noodles, I added 1/2 tsp of sage and thyme to the spinach and ricotta mixture, and sprinkled some on the butter squash when roasting. Used 3 cloves of garlic- we like garlic.
Baked at 375 covered with foil for 45 min, then 10 min uncovered to brown the top.
Served with crusty sourdough bread and a small dinner salad.
Will definitely make this again
Thanks
Thanks Amy! So glad you enjoyed it!
Delicious recipe – I added roasted garlic salt to the water when I made the noodles. I added a little extra nutmeg for fun and some half and half to the butternut squash. It’s a fabulous recipe! Thank you
Thank you for your feedback, Jennifer!
This was so amazing! The only negative is that I couldn’t stop myself from having a second serving 😂 I am obsessed!
So good to hear, Kristen! Thanks for your feedback. 🙂
Best lasagna ever. My husband was skeptical when there was no meat involved. What does he know???😊 He ate it and loved it. It also looks beautiful.
Oh I’m so glad you (AND your husband!) enjoyed this meatless lasagna! Thanks so much for letting me know, Angelika!
Fantastic! I used oven-ready noodles and they worked great. Although I did cook hotter (375) and covered for 45 minutes then another 15 uncovered like I do for regular lasagna. Will definitely make again.
Hello Sandy! I’m so glad you enjoyed the lasagna. It’s one of our favorites too!
Can you use oven ready noodles instead of cooking noodles ahead of time?
I don’t normally use the oven-ready noodles, but please let me know if you give that a try.
I think in the spinach and cheese layer instruction #2 should say “cooked spinach” not “cooked squash” right?
Yes! Thanks Jenn, for pointing that out. Just fixed it!
So so so want copies of these so I csn make some please! Send do ArdieVallem@gmail.com
Are you looking for a copy of the recipe? You can print directly from my recipe card. I hope you enjoy!
This recipe looks very easy but I wonder about flavor. I think I would add some spice to it. Sage and thyme, maybe. Not sure about the nutmeg.
You could definitely play with the spices and try whatever suits you best!
Very Rich but delicious.
I subbed zucchini for lasagna noodles.
That’s a great idea to substitute zucchini! Thanks for your feedback. 🙂
This is incredible and I love that it is meatless. So cool when you can go meatless and not even realize it! Awesome recipe!
Thank you! 🙂