Roasted Butternut Squash & Spinach Lasagna

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.

If you are looking for a great, no OFF-THE-HOOK, Vegetarian lasagna then friends you have found yourself a winner!

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This lasagna is a delicious alternative to traditional meat and cheese lasagna.  There is a place for that too but I was looking for something different.  It’s been quite a while since I’ve made something that truly made my heart sing.

Yes there are short cuts to this recipe.  One of which is buying canned butternut squash.  I personally have never done this so I can’t make any promises on how it would turn out.  The 2nd would be to buy precut cubed squash.  I know Costco sells a huge package of organic squash pretty reasonably.

We did a post on how to cut up a butternut squash here if you need some direction.  It’s pretty straight forward, but you will need a heavy duty knife.

But the one thing canned squash cannot give you is the caramelization and flavor that comes from roasting it.   Just look at all that flavor!

The cooled squash is added to a food processor along with creamy ricotta cheese, a little milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg and pureed until it is so creamy.  Can you leave it a little chunky?  It’s all up to you.  I preferred the texture to be like ricotta cheese.

I found 3 layers for this lasagna to not be enough so I suggest 4 layers.  You can either use a
9 x 13 pan or a square 9 x 9.  You will have to cut the noodles for the 9 x 9 to fit.

HOW TO ASSEMBLE:

1. Layer it like you would a regular lasagna starting with either spraying the bottom of the pan or coating it with a little butternut squash puree.
2. Lay down 3 noodles and spread the butternut puree on top, nice and thick.
3. Next layer on the spinach and ricotta mixture.
4. Finish with a little mozzarella cheese.
5. Repeat this 3 more times finishing with mozzarella cheese and sprinkle some parmesan on top too.
6. Cover it and bake for about 30 minutes.  Then taking the cover off and broiling it for a few minutes to get the cheese nice and bubbly golden hot.

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 & Spinach Lasagna

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

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.

• Author: Debi

Ingredients

PREPWORK:

Peel and cut a butternut squash into 1″ cubes.  Click here for instructions on how to cut up a butternut squash.  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
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

SPINACH FILLING:

• 1/2 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
• 1/4 teaspoon salt & freshly ground pepper

OTHER INGREDIENTS:

• 12 Lasagna Noodles
• 2 Cups Organic Mozzarella Cheese, shredded or cubed
• 1/2 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.  Mix well, taste and add more salt/pepper or milk if necessary to create a creamy consistency.

SPINACH FILLING:

Saute the onions in 1 Tablespoon olive oil over low/medium heat approx. 3 min or until soft.  Season with a little salt and pepper.  Add the garlic, stir and add the spinach.  Cook another minute.  Take off heat and add to a bowl.  When cool, add the ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese.  Stir to combine.

LASAGNA NOODLES:

Cook the noodles in a large stockpot in boiling water until tender.  Drain and rinse in cold water.

TO ASSEMBLE:

1. Spray the bottom of a 9×9 baking dish with cooking spray or olive oil.
2. Lay 3 noodles side by side (overlapping if necessary and cut noodles if they are too long)
3. Drop spoonfuls of the pureed butternut squash onto the noodles and spread using the back of a spoon.
4. Drop spoonfuls of the spinach mixture on top of the squash and repeat with the back of a spoon.
5. Top with with mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.
6. Repeat this process 3 more times, resulting in 4 layers.
7. On the last layer, top with mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.
8. Cover and bake for 30 minutes in a preheated 375°F oven or until hot all the way through.  Uncover and set under broiler for a few minutes to create a golden brown top if desired.