Filled with a creamy roasted butternut squash puree and layers of cheese, this butternut squash and spinach lasagna balances sweet and savory flavors to create a hearty and healthy vegetarian meal.
On a cold night, there is nothing I love more than comfort food, and this vegetarian roasted butternut squash lasagna recipe is exactly that. Layered with a creamy butternut squash sauce and spinach ricotta mixture, it’s rich and delicious, all while still being healthy and nutrient-dense.
Although it does require some time to prepare, it’s well worth the labor of love. So, make it on a Sunday, enjoy a delicious dinner, and have leftovers for days to come. It’s a great dish to add to your lasagna repertoire, along with my ricotta and vegetable lasagna and zucchini lasagna.
Why You’ll Love It
- Vegetarian – This meatless lasagna is something everyone can enjoy.
- Rich in Fiber – The combination of lasagna noodles, butternut squash, and spinach gives this lasagna over 5 grams of fiber per serving.
- Feeds a Crowd – This recipe makes multiple servings, making it great for a family dinner or a make-ahead meal idea.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Lasagna Noodles – To add some complex carbohydrates and make the lasagna. The recipe calls for regular lasagna noodles, but you can use no-boil lasagna noodles if preferred. See the notes section of the recipe card for details.
- Butternut Squash – To make the butternut squash puree and add some fiber. I used a fresh butternut squash, but you can use frozen butternut squash if preferred. See the notes section of the recipe card for details.
- Spinach – To add some leafy greens, micronutrients, and additional fiber. The recipe calls for frozen spinach, but you can use fresh spinach if preferred. See the notes section of the recipe card for details.
- Ricotta – To add some vegetarian protein. You can use whole milk or low-fat ricotta cheese.
- Parmesan – To add some more protein and healthy fats.
- Mozzarella – To create a cheesy topping and add more protein and healthy fats.
- Egg – To help thicken and bind the spinach ricotta mixture.
- Onion + Garlic – To add some flavor. The recipe calls for a whole onion and garlic cloves, but you can use onion powder and garlic powder if preferred. See the notes section of the recipe card for details.
- Sage + Nutmeg – To flavor the butternut squash purée and spinach ricotta mixture, although optional.
- Fresh Sage – To serve, although optional.
- Olive Oil – To roast the butternut squash and add some healthy fats.
- Salt and Pepper – To season.
Dietary Adaptions
To Make it Gluten-Free: Use certified gluten-free noodles.
To Make it Dairy-Free: This recipe cannot be made dairy-free.
Red’s Nutrition Tip
This lasagna is a great source of fiber; however, you can increase the fiber content even further by using whole wheat lasagna noodles. While white and whole wheat pasta contain a similar amount of calories, carbohydrates, and protein, whole wheat pasta contains significantly more fiber.
Serving Suggestions
This butternut squash lasagna is a balanced meal with protein, carbohydrates, fiber, and fat. It can be enjoyed on its own or adapted to suit your personal calorie or macro needs. For example:
- To make it higher in protein, add a can of white beans (drained and rinsed) to the butternut squash mixture.
- To make it lower in fat, use low-fat ricotta and mozzarella cheese.
- To make it higher in fiber, use whole wheat lasagna noodles and/or serve the lasagna with a side salad.
Storage + Reheating
To Refrigerate: Allow the lasagna to cool completely, then cover the baking dish with aluminum foil or transfer it to an airtight container, and store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To Freeze: To freeze whole, allow the butternut squash lasagna to cool completely, then cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and aluminum foil, place it in a freezer-safe bag, and place it in the freezer. To freeze leftovers, transfer the leftovers to an airtight container and place them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To Reheat: From the fridge, transfer the whole lasagna, covered, to the oven at 350°F for 20-30 minutes until heated through and bubbling. Individual portions can be reheated in an oven-safe casserole dish at 350°F for 10-15 minutes or in a microwave-safe dish in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. If frozen, allow the lasagna to thaw completely and then reheat at 350°F for 20-30 minutes or until heated through. To reheat from frozen, cover the baking dish with foil and warm it in the oven at 350°F for 40-50 minutes until heated through.
More Butternut Squash Recipes:
- Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
- Butternut Squash Casserole
- Butternut Squash Turkey Chili
- Curried Butternut Squash Soup
- Butternut Squash, Kale, and White Bean Soup
- Roasted Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup
Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna
This vegetarian butternut squash and spinach lasagna is a great dish for a cozy, cold-weather meal. Not only does it serve a crowd, but leftovers keep well in the fridge and freezer.
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Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes -
Cook Time: 40 minutes
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Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
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Yield: 9 slices 1x
Prep Time:
Yield:Ingredients
Butternut Squash Filling:
- 3–4 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 8-10 cups)
- 1 onion, cut into wedges
- 4 cloves garlic, skin on
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup milk, plus more as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Spinach Ricotta Filling:
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 8 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and pressed to remove excess water, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
Lasagna:
- 15 lasagna noodles
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- Fresh parmesan, to serve (optional)
- Fresh sage, to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and grab a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Add the cubed butternut squash, onion wedges, and garlic cloves (skin on) to the baking dish and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and, using your hands, toss until well coated, then spread the squash evenly across the dish. Transfer the baking dish to the oven and cook for 35-40 minutes until the butternut squash is tender and can easily be pierced with a fork.
- While the squash is roasting, prepare the spinach ricotta mixture. In a large bowl, add the ricotta cheese, thawed and chopped spinach, parmesan cheese, egg, nutmeg, salt, and black pepper, and stir until well combined.
- While you wait for the butternut squash to finish roasting, cook the lasagna noodles. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add the lasagna noodles and cook for 8 minutes, or as per package instructions, until cooked to al dente. Once cooked, strain the noodles, run them under cold water, and set them aside. (If they dry out a little while they wait, just run them under a bit of water to un-stick them.)
- Once the butternut squash has roasted, transfer it to a food processor or large blender, along with the onion and the garlic cloves (skins removed), ricotta cheese, milk, sage, salt, and black pepper, and blend until well combined and a purée forms. If the mixture is too thick, just add a bit more milk until the desired texture is reached – the mixture should be thick, creamy, and spreadable, but not watery.
- Once all of the ingredients are ready, begin to assemble the lasagna.
- In the same baking dish used to roast the squash, add 1/2 cup of the puréed butternut squash mixture to the bottom of the baking dish, spreading it out evenly, then layer the bottom of the dish with lasagna noodles, cutting off their ends to fit and/or overlap their edges as needed.
- Top the first layer of lasagna noodles with 1/3 of the remaining puréed butternut squash mixture (spreading it out evenly), then top it with 1/2 of the spinach ricotta mixture (spreading it out evenly), and top that with 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese. Top with more lasagna noodles.
- Top the second layer of lasagna noodles with another 1/3 of the puréed butternut squash mixture (spreading it out evenly), then top with the remaining spinach ricotta mixture (spreading it out evenly), and top that with another 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese. Top with more lasagna noodles.
- Top the third layer of lasagna noodles with the remaining puréed butternut squash mixture and remaining shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil, transfer to the oven, and bake for 25 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and the top is lightly browned.
- Optional: While the lasagna cooks, fry some fresh sage leaves. Warm a few tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat, then add fresh sage leaves, working in batches, and fry for 3-5 seconds per side until golden, then remove from the pan and let rest on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Once cooked, remove the lasagna from the oven and allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes, then slice and serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese and fried sage.
- Any leftovers can be cooled and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
To Use Frozen Butternut Squash: Swap the whole butternut squash for 8 cups of cubed, frozen butternut squash in step #2 and increase the cooking time by 5-10 minutes.
To Use Onion Powder: Swap the onion for 1 teaspoon of onion powder and add it in step #5 instead of step #2.
To Use Garlic Powder: Swap the onion for 1 teaspoon of garlic powder and add it in step #5 instead of step #2.
To Use Fresh Spinach: Swap the frozen spinach for 8 cups of fresh spinach. Warm a teaspoon of olive oil in a pan, add the fresh spinach, and cook, stirring regularly, until wilted, and add it to the ricotta mixture as per step #3.
To Use No-Boil Lasagna Noodles: Skip step #4 and use no-boil lasagna noodles as instructed in step #7, and increase the cooking time in step # by 10 minutes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 434 calories
- Sugar: 6 grams
- Fat: 22 grams
- Carbohydrates: 38 grams
- Fiber: 5 grams
- Protein: 22 grams
Tasty meatless lasagna.
This was so good! I’ll be making it again very soon!
Thank you for sharing, and I’m so happy you liked it!