This Roasted Butternut Squash & Spinach Lasagna is a delectable fusion of creamy roasted butternut squash, tons of wilted spinach, silky béchamel sauce, and layers of melted cheese, making it the ultimate fall comfort food.
Our Roasted Butternut Squash Lasagna is a delicious twist on the classic Italian dish, where tender layers of lasagna noodles house a luscious butternut squash filling. This recipe combines the comforting warmth of roasted squash with creamy bĂ©chamel sauce and layers of melted cheese, creating a dish that’s the epitome of comfort food.
Ingredients Needed:
Butternut Squash Filling:
- Butternut squash
- Ricotta cheese
- Milk
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, salt & pepper
Spinach Filling:
- Baby spinach
- Onions and garlic
- Ricotta & Mozzarella cheese
- Salt & pepper
Other Ingredients:
- Lasagna noodles
- Mozzarella & Parmesan cheese
How to make a Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna
- Roasting the Butternut Squash – The first order of business in this lasagna-making adventure is tending to the butternut squash. Whether you decide to start with a whole squash and carve it into bite-sized cubes or go for the convenience of pre-cut pieces, there’s one rule: I recommend roasting it. As a result, it intensifies the flavors, giving it that beautiful browning, and a touch of caramelization.
- MAKE THE BUTTERNUT FILLING: After the roasted squash has had a chance to cool down, it joins forces with creamy ricotta cheese, a dash of milk, and a pinch of salt, pepper, and nutmeg in the food processor. Blend it until it achieves a luscious, creamy texture or leave it a little chunky. It’s up to you.
- MAKE THE SPINACH FILLING: To add dimension and flavor to this lasagna, we added a layer of sauteed spinach with some finely diced onions and garlic and combining that with ricotta and mozzarella cheeses. All that’s left to do is assemble it.
HOW TO ASSEMBLE:
- Begin by greasing the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray, then spread a thin layer of the butternut squash puree.
- Place three lasagna noodles on top and generously spread the butternut puree over them.
- Follow with a layer of the spinach and ricotta mixture.
- Finish each layer with a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat this process three more times, topping with a final layer of mozzarella cheese. Don’t forget to add a dusting of Parmesan on top for extra flavor.
- Cover the lasagna and bake it for approximately 30 minutes. Then, remove the cover and broil for a few minutes to achieve a golden, bubbling cheese topping.
What to Serve with Butternut Squash Lasagna:
- Garlic Knots:New York Style Garlic Knots A classic choice that complements the flavors of the lasagna and is perfect for soaking up any extra sauce.
- Green Salad: A simple green salad with a light vinaigrette adds a refreshing contrast to the rich lasagna.
- Roasted Vegetables: Consider serving a medley of roasted vegetables like asparagus, broccoli, or Brussels sprouts for added nutrition and variety.
If you like butternut squash I really think you won’t be disappointed by giving this a try. The flavors in this lasagna are nothing short of magical.
ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND SPINACH LASAGNA
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Roasted Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
Description
A vegetarian lasagna make with a creamy mixture of butternut squash puree topped with a spinach, garlic and ricotta cheese mixture and topped with mozzarella cheese.
Ingredients
PREPWORK:
- Peel and cut a butternut squash into 1″ cubes. Â
- Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake in a preheated oven at 375° F for 25-30 minutes or until fork tender.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH FILLING:
- 2 Cups Butternut Squash, pureed in food blender (usually takes 1 full squash)
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- ½ cup milk
- ÂĽ teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper
- ÂĽ teaspoon nutmeg
- â…› teaspoon ground cinnamon
SPINACH FILLING:
- ½ Cup Organic Onion, diced
- 3 Cloves Organic Garlic, minced
- 8 oz Organic Baby Spinach, cut up
- 1 Cup Organic Ricotta Cheese
- 1 cup Organic Mozzarella Cheese, shredded or cut into small cubes
- ÂĽ teaspoon salt & freshly ground pepper
OTHER INGREDIENTS:
- 12 Lasagna Noodles
- 2 Cups Organic Mozzarella Cheese, shredded or cubed
- ½ Cup Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
Instructions
BUTTERNUT SQUASH FILLING:
- Combine 2 cups of butternut squash puree with ricotta cheese, milk, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon in a food processor.Â
- Mix well, taste and add more salt/pepper or milk if necessary to create a creamy consistency.
SPINACH FILLING:
- SautĂ© the onions in 1 Tablespoon olive oil over low/medium heat approx. 3 min or until soft. Season with a little salt and pepper.Â
- Add the garlic, stir and add the spinach. Cook another minute.Â
- Transfer the onions into a bowl and add the ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese. Stir to combine.
LASAGNA NOODLES:
- Cook the noodles in a large stockpot in boiling water and undercook them according to package directions by 2 minutes. Â
- Drain and run over cool water.
TO ASSEMBLE:
- Spray the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray or olive oil. Spoon in enough butternut squash puree to coat the bottom of the dish.
- Lay 3 noodles side by side (overlapping if necessary and cut noodles if they are too long)
- Drop spoonfuls of the pureed butternut squash onto the noodles and spread using the back of a spoon.
- Drop spoonfuls of the spinach mixture on top of the squash and repeat with the back of a spoon.
- Top with with mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.
- Repeat this process 3 more times, resulting in 4 layers.
- On the last layer, top with mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.
- Cover and bake for 30 minutes in a preheated 375°F oven or until hot all the way through.Â
- Remove the foil and set the pan under the broiler for a few minutes to create a golden brown top if desired.
- Prep Time: 30-40 minutes
- Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 360-400
- Sugar: 4-6 gr
- Sodium: 600-700 mg
- Fat: 20-22 gr
- Carbohydrates: 25-30 gr
- Fiber: 2-4 gr
- Protein: 15-20 gr
- Cholesterol: 30-40 mg
Love it!! Didn’t have ricotta, so I used a tub of cottage cheese, blended together. I added nutritional yeast to the the squash later to give it more depth of flavor and a little lemon zest in the spinach to lift it. Absolutely lovely, and it’s a great meal prep dinner to make and freeze.
Love it! ❤ Didn’t have ricotta, so used a tub of cottage cheese, blended together. I added nutritional yeast to the squash later to give it more depth of flavor, and a little lemon zest in the spinach to lift it. Absolutely lovely, and it’s a great meal prep dinner to make and freeze.
Used 2x the onion and a cup more spinach and 1/2 cup more ricotta. Absolutely delicious
Divine – I never expected this to turn out this good. It’s even better the next day. I brought it to work for lunch and so did my husband. The first thing he said when we both walked through the door. was how good his lunch was.
What’s the nutritional information for this lasagna??
I updated the recipe to include the nutrition info
I made this for a group in for a wellness retreat. Everyone loved it. I made it the night before and cooked it the next day. Worked great. I actually upped the spinach a bit and added a few mushrooms. I only did three layers because I am terrible at judging how much to put in each layer. Will definitely make it again.
I love your additions Tina – I’m a huge spinach and mushroom fan too. Thanks for trying it!
This was lovely! I did not add the nutmeg, but I roasted the squash with a heathy bit of thyme. I also doubled the garlic. I’d suggest if you are using ready noodles to add a cup or two more milk in with the squash! But overall so amazing!!!!!
I have no idea how you got 4 layers with this I did the fillings as thin as I could layer them and ended up with 2 layers total.
How many does this recipe serve?
It would depend on serving size and other side dishes being served as well. But I would say this recipe will feed 8 people.
This was delicious- absolutely best vegetable lasagna I ever had.
Looks delicious
Love that you don’t have to make a bechamel sauce with this recipe. Saves me a step!!
I have a bumper crop of butternut squash this fall. YAY!! This recipe looks delicious and my picky hubs who isn’t really a fan of traditional lasagna (he prefers white sauces) would like this. Question: could this be made using jumbo pasta shells? He loves them and I thought I could use the filling to stuff them with.
Hi Amanda! Yes! This butternut filling would go great in shells – or you could even make your own crepes!
This was soooo good! It reminded me of butternut squash ravioli which I absolutely love!! I figured out how I could make it as ravioli but am wondering if you have any sauce suggestions for the top? I searched and found a brown butter sage sauce… do you think that would go with this recipe? Meaning, would the sage match the flavors of the filling?
Hi Heather! I just had butternut squash ravioli the other day and I used this sauce https://happilyunprocessed.com/butter-garlic-cream-sauce/. I love butternut anything, especially ravioli. Enjoy!
My whole family LOVED this recipe!!!
Thanks Alli – I’m so glad.
Looks great! Can we use oven ready noodles?
I don’t see why not. You might have to adjust the cooking time though.
Do you think you can freeze this? Like if you need to travel with it? If so would you bake if then freeze or just make and freeze?
Hi Dani – I personally have not frozen this lasagna, however I don’t see how it would be any different from regular lasagna. You can freeze it either way. It can be thawed in the fridge for 24 hrs prior to baking or cooked straight from the freezer. Obviously cooking from frozen can add on 30 minutes. Thanks for your question!
We really enjoyed this!! I used a bigger pan, thus less layers. Still great.
I bet any kind of noodles would be ok to use.
Looks delicious
I was wondering if anyone has tried this with oven-ready lasagna noodles since that’s what I have in my cabinet.
Loved this lasagna and so did my company!
I’ve made this lasagne many times and it’s our favorite so I wanted to thank you for such a delicious recipe! I add a little garlic and onion powder to the spinach mix and use the barilla oven ready noodles that I cook (not boil) for about 4 minutes.
Love the website and the pure ingredients you use!
thank you! That was so nice <3
I would double the amount of roasted squash and leave some chunks in I would also double spinach mix Continue with 4sets of noodles incl extra spices and u have a winner!
Could you assemble, cover and store in fridge 24 hours prior to baking?
absolutely!
So delicious! My first time trying a recipe with butternut squash actually, so a bit exciting to see, but amazingly tasty, my boyfriend and I loved it! We only used about half the amout of ricotta and not mozzarella with the spinach (just on top) and it was still fabulous, thank you so much for sharing!
No one in my family liked this recipe. Maybe time down the spices?
Could you use goat cheese or some other nondairy cheese in place of ricotta?
I made this for my boyfriend last night and he LOVED it! We had it for lunch again this afternoon and ate the rest of the leftovers, and he requested it for dinner again tonight!
wow! thanks Abbie!
How many servings does this make? I have looked …
My whole family, including my picky kids, loved it!
This lasagna looks so good! Can’t wait to make it this weekend!