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
- Pear Salad with Vanilla Fig Dressing
- Savory Leek Bread
- Perfect Roasted Broccoli
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- More recipes you’ll love!
- 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!
More recipes you'll love!
- Our 40 Best Mushroom Recipes!
- 50 Best Vegetarian Recipes!
- Broccoli Manicotti with Burrata
- Butternut Squash Gratin with Leeks, Sage and Walnuts
- Homemade Potato Gnocchi
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
How soon ahead may I fry the sage
I bet it would be fine a day ahead!
Great recipe, super tasty & really not that much trouble to make. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed Mary!
This is a fantastic recipe. Thank you.
A quick question…I’m serving steak for a dinner party coming up. I have a vegetarian guest. I thought of serving your squash lasagna instead of potatoes. Your thoughts. (I would serve a veggie salad to round off my dinner)
I bet everyone would enjoy it!
This recipe is delicious!!!! Next time I will add spinach. Nutmeg and sage are essential!
So happy you enjoyed this Neena!
So delicious!!! Time consuming, but simple. It’s the perfect blend between comfort food and something a little more refined. Absolutely would recommend!!!
So glad you enjoyed it!
This meal is sooooo delicious! As a family we are working on going full veggie. Meals like this make you realise how much better you are treating yourself compared to meat based meals. And how much better they taste!
Great to hear Mel- so happy you enjoyed this!
The Grossman family lives this recipe. We’re making it for the second time. We do everything ahead. Works beautifully. Doesn’t seem like a chore at all. Can’t wait for tomorrow night when we can eat this delicious meal.
Great to hear!
Delicious!
It was worth all effort.
Glad you enjoyed Miluska!
Have made several times, plant based and with dairy, and its always a crowd pleaser.
Great to hear!
I may have missed something but where does it say how many for?
In the top of the recipe card 8-10 🙂
Your site is my go-to for just about everything! It looks like a fantastic recipe. One question – how many noodles for 1X recipe? (I’m assuming a 9×13 pan.) Thanks!
Hey Lorraine- it really depends on the size of noodles you are using.
We grew a ton of butternut squash this year and I was looking for different recipes and found your site! This dish was a total hit with my friends! Different but familiar and really delicious!!
Great to hear!
I’ve made this recipe a few times and it always comes out amazing. It tastes delicious and my two young daughters love it.
Great to hear!
Silvia, how should I adjust the recipe to make with regular lasagna noodles. Should my puree be thicker? I am going make to bring to my daughter’s this Christmas.
You could par boil them- and cook partially. 🙂
I will let you know how it goes. I neither want crunchy noodles or a watery lasagna. Par boiling sounds like it might be the ticket! I didn’t consider that being a Follow the Rules kinda gal ( for each type of pasta). THNX!@
i love all your recipes so I’m sure we will enjoy this one too…I made it, baked it and now I am freezing it for later. When I use should I defrost it first or put it directly in the oven frozen. Thanks Sylvia. Not sure what I would do without your recipes.
Thanks Beth. Defrost completely before reheating.
Wow! This was a great vegetarian lasagna. Everyone loved it! and it really wasn’t hard to make. The mushrooms were an excellent touch to this. and loved how you decided to puree the butternut squash.
Thanks Lauren, glad you enjoyed!
My husband and I absolutely adore this recipe! Tomatoes exacerbate my husband’s heart burn, so we steer clear, and we’re so excited to find a delicious lasagna substitute! It’s a cold weather staple, and well worth the effort!
Awesome Sarah! Glad you both liked it!
Butternut squash is not listed in the recipe. It is obvious because of the directions. But for new cooks, it will be helpful to add it to the list of ingredients. Especially if people take the recipe to the grocery store and only buy from the ingredients list. Thank you for such a great meal.
Hi Fifi, they are first on the ingredient list?
I’ve made this for vegetarians and carnivores, and the feedback has been the same: extremely good lasagna! One of my favorite fall recipes.
Yay Danielle! So happy everyone is enjoying. It’s a pretty cozy meal, no one seems to really miss the meat here. 🙂
I loved this recipe. Made it in stages and used mozzarella cheese instead of the bechemel sauce. Even our kids enjoyed it. Great leftovers too.
Thank you for this weekend dinner inspiration!!
Awesome Becky- making in stages really helps-especially the first time!
This recipe was time consuming and the next time I make it I will prepare some of the steps ahead of time. There definitely will be a next time. This dish was delicious! I added a little more salt than was called for and found I really didn’t need to. I think next time I will substitute the mozzarella for some gruyere.
Thanks Catherine! Yes making this in stages helps tremendously – and it goes faster the second time, for sure.
Second time making this one. I love it – so tasty!! This second time I used a bit of the truffle oil with the mushrooms, and will do so again next time. Thanks for all your amazing recipes. 🙂
Yum Ingrid! Love truffle oil!
Truly enjoyed the taste of this delicious recipe. Great texture. Excellent way to use squash from the garden.
I added spinach. I also.put it in the fridge for 2 days before cooking.
Another keeper!!💥
Nice to hear Charlotte!
Wow, so good! What a creative way to make lasagna! I made the butternut squash sauce in the morning, then the rest in the evening. I subbed in cottage cheese for the ricotta. I used sage from my garden! Was worth all the steps. Thank you!!
Perfect Angeli!
The no bake noodles were crunchy, so I will go traditional next time, and it was a little too sweet for my family. We would enjoy spicing it with a little taco seasoning and garam masala!
Hey Autumn- do you mean no-boil noodles? which brand did you use?
Another delicious recipe! I’ve made several of your recipes and have loved every one, thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and creativity 🥰
Thanks Doreen, appreciate this!