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This Butternut Squash Lasagna recipe is a cozy and heartwarming vegetarian meal, made with a creamy roasted butternut squash sauce, no-boil noodles, mushrooms, spinach, ricotta, and sage. Video + Vegan-adaptable.
We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.
Thorton Wilder
Here is one of my favorite fall meals… Butternut Squash Lasagna with mushrooms, spinach and sage. It’s so cozy and warming, full of fantastic fall flavor. Butternut squash is roasted in the oven and becomes the creamy sauce that infuses the lasagna with goodness. A delicious vegetarian or vegan main dish, worthy of your holiday table – so comforting and homey.
Table of Contents
- Why you will LOVE this!
- Butternut Squash Lasagna Ingredients
- How to make Butternut squash Lasagna
- Ways to Elevate (optional)
- Butternut Squash Lasagna FAQS
- Serving Suggestions
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- Butternut Squash Lasagna | 60-sec Video
- Butternut Squash Lasagna Recipe
Why you will LOVE this!
- Veggie-loaded Vegetarian meal– full of wholesome vegetables, it’s hearty enough for meat eaters!
- Make it ahead (or in stages). The butternut squash sauce (and filling) can be made up to 4 days ahead. Or make the whole thing up to 4 days ahead, refrigerate and bake.
- No Boil lasagna noodles– makes this faster & easier!
- It is vegan– adaptable! Make our tofu ricotta and substitute vegan cheeses- easy peasy! It can be made gluten-free with gluten-free noodles.
- Freeze it! Lasagna is one of the best meals to put in the freezer for later- thaw it overnight in the fridge and reheat it. A gift to your future self!
- Tomato-Free. It doesn’t have tomatoes or tomato sauce-for those who can’t tolerate the acid or who are allergic, this recipe is a godsend!
Butternut Squash Lasagna Ingredients
- Small butternut squash– you can also use almost any winter squash ( pumpkin, Hubbard, delicata, acorn squash) except spaghetti squash. In a pinch, you can even use canned pumpkin puree.
- Mushrooms -cremini mushrooms, button mushrooms, oyster, shiitake mushrooms, portobello, or wild mushrooms.
- Spinach – fresh or frozen spinach both work here! Feel free to use other wilting greens- kale, chard, etc.
- Onion, garlic and sage- fresh is best!
- Cheeses: ricotta cheese (or sub vegan tofu ricotta) mozzarella cheese, romano cheese or parmesan cheese. Can sub with vegan cheeses!
- Egg (optional) for enriching the ricotta. Feel free to leave it out.
- No-boil lasagna noodles (dry, uncooked) make this much easier to make- no boiling pasta water! Feel free to use regular lasagna noodles that are parboiled.
- Seasonings -Salt, black pepper and a whisper of nutmeg, heavenly!
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil – or butter.
- Optional Garnishes: For the top, you can make a quick bechamel sauce (for an extra creamy lasagna) and/or crispy sage. Arugula Pesto is nice too.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make Butternut squash Lasagna
Step one: Make the Butternut Squash Sauce. Cut the butternut squash in half, and place open side down on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Place sliced onion next to it and drizzle it with a little olive oil. Roast until fork-tender, about 30-40 minutes and let it cool. Once cooled, scoop out the seeds, and place 3- 3 ½ cups flesh out into a food processor. Add the roasted onion, olive oil, water, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Puree until very smooth. You will need at least 4 cups of butternut sauce and we want it to be very saucy, like a marinara sauce. The butternut squash puree should pour out of the food processor.
Step 2: Make the mushroom filling. In a large skillet, heat the oil or butter. Add mushrooms and shallots and salt, and saute over medium heat, until the mushrooms release their liquid and begin to brown. Add the garlic, sage and pepper. Cook until garlic is fragrant, about 2-3 more minutes, turn the heat off. Toss in some spinach at the end and wilt for extra nutrients. Taste and make sure the filling has enough salt and pepper. You could also add a little truffle oil.
Step 3: Make the Ricotta Mixture: Using a fork, mix the ricotta cheese with the egg, nutmeg and salt. ( You really don’t have to add the egg, but it adds a nice richness.)
Step 4: Assemble the lasagna. In a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish, add 1 cup of the creamy butternut sauce and spread out into a thin layer. Top with lasagna noodles.
Add half of the ricotta mixture and spread out evenly. Top with half of the cooked mushrooms ( and spinach).Sprinkle with ½ cup grated mozzarella and a couple tablespoons romano cheese.
Add 2nd layer of lasagna noodles. Add 1 cup of butternut sauce, spread out the rest of the ricotta mixture as evenly as possible.
Add the remaining mushrooms and all the good bits (onions and sage) and sprinkle with another ½ cup shredded mozzarella and a couple tablespoons of pecorino cheese. Place the 3rd and final layer of noodles over the top. Lather with the remaining butternut puree and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese. (See ways to elevate below!)
Step 5: Bake! Place a layer of parchment over the lasagna, then wrap it tightly with foil to create a tight seal ( you especially need this with no-boil noodles). Bake 40 minutes. Uncover and continue baking 15-20 minutes until golden and bubbly.
When the Butternut lasagna comes out of the oven it will smell heavenly. Beautifully golden and fragrant! Let it stand 10 minutes, then cut into 9 servings.
Ways to Elevate (optional)
- Make a Bechamel Sauce for the top. Sometimes, instead of adding a final layer of grated cheese, I’ll make a light, quick béchamel sauce…. purely because I prefer the look of it (from my catering days) compared to the grated cheese “look”. See recipe notes for more info.
- Add truffle oil! If you love truffle oil, drizzle the mushrooms with a little truffle oil – a nice touch.
- Make crispy sage leaves as a garnish over the butternut lasagna. See recipe notes. Or drizzle with our Arugula Pesto.
Butternut Squash Lasagna FAQS
Butternut squash lasagna can easily be made up to 4 days ahead. Let it come to room temperature before baking. You can also make it in “stages”- for example, roast the butternut squash on day one and refrigerate it; on day two, make the creamy butternut sauce; on day three, make the filling; on day four, assemble and bake. All components will keep up to 4 days. The sauce can also be frozen.
Yes! This butternut squash lasagna is easily adaptable for vegans. You can make a tofu ricotta as a substitute for the traditional ricotta cheese and use vegan cheeses instead of mozzarella, romano, or parmesan.
Yes, you can make this butternut squash lasagna gluten-free by using gluten-free lasagna noodles.
Yes, this lasagna is freezer-friendly. Once baked, you can let it cool, cover it well, and freeze it for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy it, simply thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and reheat it in the oven.
Serving Suggestions
Pair Butternut Squash Lasagna with a leafy green salad, roasted veggies, and crusty bread!
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Hope you enjoy this cozy vegetarian meal… please let us know how you like this in the comments below! xoxo
Love this recipe? Please let us know in the comments and leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below the recipe card.
Butternut Squash Lasagna | 60-sec Video
Butternut Squash Lasagna Recipe
- Prep Time: 60 mins
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 9 1x
- Category: vegetarian, main, dinner idea, vegetarian dinnser
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Butternut Squash Lasagna is a delicious vegetarian meal, perfect for fall. Made with mushrooms, spinach, sage, and easy, no-boil noodles. Vegan adaptable. Video.
Ingredients
Creamy Butternut Squash Sauce:
- 1 medium butternut squash (2 1/2 lbs- 3 lbs), about 3 cups, cooked
- 1/2 a sweet onion, sliced into big wedges
- olive oil for drizzling
- 1/2–1 cup water or veggie broth
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Mushroom Spinach Filling:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
- 1 1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced (cremini, button, shiitake, portobello, wild mushrooms, etc.)
- 1 fat shallot or 1/2 onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped sage ( or sub thyme, or rosemary)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- optional – 2-3 handfuls of baby spinach or other greens, to wilt.
Ricotta Mixture:
- 1 lb ricotta cheese (or sub vegan tofu ricotta) If using the tofu ricotta, no need to add more salt or egg. Just nutmeg 🙂
- one egg (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Lasagna
- 1 1 /2 cups grated mozzarella cheese ( about 3–4 ounces) or sub vegan “meltable” cheese
- 1/2 cup pecorino cheese or parmesan ( about 1 ounce) or sub vegan
- No-boil lasagna noodles (uncooked) – or use regular boiled lasagna noodles cooked to al dente. ( you’ll need enough for 3 layers)
- Optional: Crispy sage leaves ( see notes) or Arugula Pesto
Optional Quick Béchamel Sauce:
Instructions
- Make the Butternut Squash Sauce. Preheat oven to 425 F. Cut butternut squash in half, scoop out the seeds and place them open-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the onion ( cut into large wedges) next to it and drizzle it with a bit of olive oil. Roast until fork-tender, about 30-40 minutes. Let cool. You could do this a day before or cook whole in an instant pot for 22 minutes. When the butternut is cool enough to handle, scoop out 3 -3 ½ cups of the flesh into a food processor. Add the roasted onion, olive oil, water, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Puree until very smooth. TIP: When using no-boil noodles, you want this to be extra loose & saucy, like a marinara sauce (so add more water if need be!). It should pour out of the food processor and you’ll need at least 4 cups of sauce. This can be made up to 4 days ahead.
- Make the mushroom filling. In a large skillet, heat the oil or butter. Add mushrooms and shallots and salt, and saute over medium heat, until the mushrooms release their liquid and begin to brown. Add the garlic, sage and pepper. Cook until garlic is fragrant, about 2-3 more minutes, and turn the heat off. You could toss in some spinach at the end and wilt for extra nutrients. Taste and make sure the filling has enough salt and pepper. You could also add a little truffle oil to elevate. Make this up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate.
- Ricotta Mixture: Using a fork, mix the ricotta cheese with the egg, nutmeg and salt. ( You really don’t need to add the egg, but it adds a lovely richness.)
- Lower oven to 375F
- Assemble the lasagna. In a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish, add 1 cup of the butternut puree and spread out into a thin layer. Top with the first layer of lasagna noodles. Add half of the ricotta mixture and spread out evenly. Top with half of the cooked mushrooms/spinach. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the grated mozzarella and 2-3 tablespoons of pecorino cheese. Add the 2nd layer of lasagna noodles. Drizzle with 1 cup of butternut sauce; spread out the remaining ricotta mixture as evenly as possible. Add the remaining mushrooms and all the good bits (onions and sage) and sprinkle with ½ cup shredded mozzarella and 2-3 tablespoons pecorino cheese. Place the 3rd, final layer of noodles over the top. Lather with the remaining butternut Sauce and either sprinkle with the rest of the cheese or make the creamy béchamel sauce, spreading it over top. (See notes.).
- Cover with parchment, then wrap tightly with foil and bake in 375 F oven for 40 minutes. You want a tight seal when using no-boil noodles. (You never want the foil to touch your food, especially something wet- the aluminum will leach into your food.) Uncover and continue baking 15-20 minutes until golden and bubbly. Let rest 10 minutes, cut into 9 servings.
- Garnish with optional crispy sage leaves.
Notes
Tip: when using no-boil noodles, be sure your butternut sauce is extra saucy ( it’s ok to add more water) so the noodles have more moisture to soak up. If using boiled noodles, cook only to al dente (don’t overcook).
Optional Béchamel: Instead of sprinkling the remaining cheese on top (which is totally fine, especially if pressed for time) make a quick light béchamel sauce to pour over the final layer of butternut puree using the remaining cheese. This just gives it a creamier look and feel (compared to the look of melted, grated cheese). This is just a personal preference that makes it look more appealing (from my catering days). Totally up to you. 😉
To make the bechamel: heat the oil or butter in a small pot over medium heat. Add the flour, and toast it for 1-2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk, whisking out any clumps and browned bits. Stir in salt, pepper and the cheese reserved for the final layer, stirring until melted and incorporated.
A great way to conquer this is to make the components in stages. Make the butternut puree one day, the filling the next day (storing in the fridge) assembling the next day, baking the next etc. OR Feel free to make this all ahead (refrigerate) and bake before serving, remembering to pull it out of the fridge for at least one hour before baking to let it come to room temp, for even baking.
This can also be baked and frozen, or frozen unbaked.
To make the crispy sage leaves, generously coat the bottom of a small skillet with olive oil over medium heat. Place each leave ( leaving a little stem is cute) into the hot oil and fry each side, around 30 seconds, or until crisp. Place on a paper towel to blot. Do one tester first, to get the timing right. You want them crisp, but still green, not too brown.)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/9th
- Calories: 363
- Sugar: 5.3 g
- Sodium: 663.8 mg
- Fat: 16.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 7.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 37.4 g
- Fiber: 5.4 g
- Protein: 16.8 g
- Cholesterol: 57.6 mg
Keywords: Butternut squash lasagna, Butternut squash lasagna recipe, butternut recipes, best butternut squash recipes, butternut squash pasta
Ate first, I was a bit conflicted on the nutmeg. But the more I tried, the better this dish tasted. (Though I may try it without the nutmeg next time to compare).
★★★★★
Yes do that Max! And let us know which version is best. Glad you gave it try!
love this recipe. I typically over-season and add almost twice as much seasoning as listed. Delicious! and yes, helps to break it up in steps a day or to prior to assembly.
★★★★★
Nice Anicia, love that you make it to your taste!
I agree with Anicia. This recipe needs more herbs and especially thyme (and TIME – Hah!) Great recipe – everyone loved it including all the meat eaters. Start prepping early!
★★★★★
This may be a silly question but is there any way to modify this recipe to omit the mushrooms?
You could probably just do it without the mushrooms. Cooked lentils would be a nice replacement.
Happy Thanksgiving! I am just about to start putt this together (I 3x the recipe). Question is can I use more lasagna oodles and make more layers? I bought 2 cceramic pans that are 9 x 13 x 3.75” deep. Seems like it could use more layers or is the depth you use. What do you think? We. Are eating tomorrow but I am baking to say and refrigerating and reheating tomorrow. This will be amazing!
★★★★★
Sorry I missed this in time- hope this worked out for you!
This was AMAZING! I thought I might need more layers of noodles, but when I started assembling it, i realized that recipe was spot on with three layers. I used shitake, cremini, portobello and added a once of rehydrated porcini – so good. I chopped the mushrooms very finely and really liked how that worked with the overall texture of the dish. I made 3 trays for 9 people – everyone took the extra home. I only ended up with a small and tried a bit of homemade marinara on top – yum! This will be in my holiday rotation from now on (as will your mushroom gravy – I will comment on that recipe separately). Thanks!!!
★★★★★
So happy to hear this worked out so well Sydney!
★★★★★
★★★★★
I started making sauce and filling a week ahead before reading that these can be made 3-4 days ahead. Should I just freeze them? Seems like it would be okay since they are cooked. Thoughts?
Yes, that would be fine!
Thanks so much for your response. Making this X3 for people to take as I think it will be amazing!
Great to hear Sydney! Let us know how it goes and double check your multiplier!
Sorry if this is redundant, but if I make the entire lasagna 3 days ahead with no boil lasagna (barilla), Can I just refrigerate it and then bake it?
Yes, Pamela, bring it to room temp first before baking. 🙂
so very very good!!!
★★★★★
Great to hear Genevieve!
A big at my sisters’ reunion dinner. I used no-boil noodles (organic DeLallo), organic veg broth to loosen the squash. Topped with bechemel. I didn’t cook it ahead but froze it instead. Moved it to the fridge to thaw for two nights before the dinner. Baked. Came out perfectly and all enjoyed. My very funny sister visiting from Los Angeles said it was a “food-gasm”!
Ha! So great you all enjoyed. So helpful to hear your process!
Sylvia, another excellent recipe! Your site is always my first go to for amazing recipes. thank you! denise
Thanks Denise, so nice to hear!
Loved this! My husband gave it an A-, ( I always ask for a grade, gives me a better feeling as to his thoughts), I agreed. Now this may have been on me, first time making, non-culinary trained individual, BUT, very savory but a tad dry, (my vegan mozzarella was not melting so I stuck it in under the broil for a bit.) Squash purée was thick, (may have used a larger squash), so I used veg broth in place of water to thin, (always do.) The Sage/mushroom/onion combo was heavenly, (kitchen smelled amazing!) Thinking I may throw in some chopped sun dried tomatoes next time. This recipe is a hearty Fall keeper!
★★★★★
Thanks so much Stacy- did you use no boil noodles?
I used “oven ready” noodles, (Barilla), which does say they do not need to be boiled.
Get this, my husband does not even like mushrooms but are all of his serving with relish and says he wants me to make it again! Ha!
★★★★★
Thanks Stacy! I think I will note the recipe that when using no boil noodles to make the sauce and little looser. 🙂
Excellent veggie lasagna! I did the various “steps” for 3 days, then assembled and baked it the day before our dinner party. Reheated for 40 minutes at 350F. I added some dry sherry (2-3T?) to the mushroom filling after adding the garlic and sage, and the optional spinach, then cooked it down a little. The only change that I will make next time is to thin the butternut puree more the next time, with veg broth, because the lasagna noodles absorbed a lot of the sauce and the final dish was a little dry (even with the béchamel) . But the flavor was awesome!
★★★★★
Thanks Victoria, Glad you enjoyed the flavors. Love that you made it in stages. Yes the Butternut should be “saucy” as stated in the directions, add water to make it saucy- especially if using no boil noodles. 🙂
No time to bake. Will cover well and freeze until I need it in two weeks. Lots of work so I hope it will bake up correctly still! Do you think thaw before cooking?
Hi Leslie- it should be great. Yes, thaw overnight and bring to room temp before baking. 🙂
Thank you Sylvia! I can’t wait to share for my sisters’ reunion coming up! 4 of us, from Michigan, Georgia, Florida, and California haven’t been together in the same place for YEARS! This will be a celebration meal!
Awww… I really love that. What a special gathering!
Made this tonight, pretty much as written, except I had to add way more water/ broth. Very good. Also added a bit more cheese. The parchment trick is brilliant.
★★★★★
Thanks Joan- glad you enjoyed and made it work!
9×13 pan for half a recipe?
No Joan, that is not right, the multiplier doesn’t catch that, so halve that.
We had a power outage half way through my first attempt at this….so now I’m finishing it in a gas grill. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
Let us know how it goes!
I love this recipe for Canadian Thanksgiving dinner. It’s been my go-to for our potluck dinner and the non-vegans love it too.
Great to hear Kelly! Happy Thanksgiving!
Can you prep this, refrigerate this, then pop it in the oven or will it cook uneven?
It should cook just fine Anna!
Yummy! Will make again! Very tasty. I did use 2 squashes to have enough for sauce. The roasted onion with it is delicious!
★★★★★
Awesome! Happy to hear it.:)
Ever since I found your recipe for Butternut squash lasagna I’ve made it at least twice each fall season. We love it !!!!!
★★★★★
Awesome to hear Mary Jo! We love this one too!
Wow, wow, wow! My husband is not a pasta lover, and especially not lasagna. However I made this with gluten free lasagna, and he came back for more three times!!! He has not stopped raving about it! Thank you so much, this is now my favorite lasagna. I have been ‘ordered’ to write it down, and never to lose it! Cheers from Down Under, and g’day from my husband the reformed pasta hater! : D
Haha…Amazing Pamela! Love it.
I love this recipe, perfect for a stormy day with lots of time to cook! I have a question, is the mozzarella fresh or bagged?
★★★★★
Thanks Sharon! Low moisture (aged) mozzarella that we grate.:)
How long do you reheat after freezing and at what temperature ? Thanks!
Thaw completely, bring to room temp, reheat at 375F covered, check at 20-25 minutes, and heat until internal temp is at least 140F. Uncover for a few minutes.
Thanks so much! Can’t wait to eat it. The aromas in my kitchen were amazing.
Glad you gave it a go Angella!
The arugula pesto is a must! The dish is a little one dimensional without it.
★★★★
When and where did you add?