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Butternut squash lasagna slice with a lightly browned cheese top
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Butternut Squash Lasagna Recipe

A tomato-free lasagna layered with roasted butternut squash purée, spinach ricotta, tender noodles, and a golden cheese topping.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Resting 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 372.9
Ingredients Equipment Method Video Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 900 g peeled, seeded butternut squash cut into 1-inch cubes; buy about a 3 lb whole squash
  • 2 tbsp olive oil divided
  • 1 tsp fine salt 6 g, divided
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 9 regular lasagna noodles about 225 g dry, boil-first type; enough for three layers in a 9-by-13-inch dish
  • 10 oz frozen chopped spinach 283 g, thawed in refrigerator and squeezed thoroughly dry
  • 15 oz part-skim ricotta cheese 425 g
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 garlic cloves minced, 9 g
  • 1 cup 2% milk 244 g
  • 1 tsp dried rubbed sage
  • 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim low-moisture mozzarella 168 g
  • 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan 30 g
  • as needed water for thinning squash purée

Equipment

  • 1 Rimmed sheet pan
  • 1 Baking dish 9 by 13 inches, at least 2 inches deep
  • 1 Large pot for noodles
  • 1 Colander
  • 1 Immersion blender with deep blending bowl
  • 1 Mixing bowl
  • 1 Clean kitchen towel for squeezing spinach
  • 1 Instant-read thermometer
  • 1 Aluminum foil to cover the dish

Method
 

  1. Heat oven to 400°F. Toss squash with 1 tablespoon oil, half the salt, and the pepper on a rimmed sheet pan. Roast 30–40 minutes, turning once, until very tender. Reduce oven to 375°F.
  2. Meanwhile, boil noodles in unsalted water according to package directions for lasagna, generally about 8 minutes, leaving them slightly firm. Drain and lay flat without stacking. Squeeze thawed spinach very dry in a clean towel.
  3. Mix ricotta, spinach, egg, garlic, nutmeg, and remaining salt in a bowl. Cool roasted squash for 5 minutes, then blend with milk and sage using an immersion blender in a deep bowl. Add water by the tablespoon only if needed for a smooth, easily spreadable purée.
  4. Brush a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with remaining tablespoon oil. Spread 1/2 cup squash purée on the bottom. Add 3 noodles, trimming to fit if necessary. Spread one third of remaining purée, half the spinach ricotta, and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Repeat with 3 noodles, another third of purée, remaining ricotta, and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Finish with 3 noodles, remaining purée, remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella, and Parmesan. Cover with foil tented above the cheese.
  5. Bake at 375°F for 25 minutes covered, then 15–20 minutes uncovered, until bubbling, lightly golden, and at least 165°F in the center. If the top browns too quickly, cover again and continue heating. Rest 15 minutes, then cut into 8 servings.
  6. Refrigerate leftover portions in shallow containers within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F. Use within 3–4 days. Reheat covered until the center reaches 165°F.

Video

Notes

Contains wheat, milk, and egg. Use vegetarian-rennet cheeses if needed. Do not substitute oven-ready noodles without adapting liquid and timing. Nutrition is estimated for one eighth of the pan, with all measured oil included. Frozen spinach is calculated before squeezing, so losses into discarded liquid are not precisely modeled.
Related video credit: Hila at Home, Spinach, Ricotta & Butternut Squash Lasagne. Her instructional description uses roasted squash, spinach, ricotta, pasta, and a baked cheese topping. This version purées all the squash with milk, uses frozen drained spinach, adds egg, sage, and nutmeg, omits mustard, and specifies preboiling regular noodles and a 165°F center. Follow this card for amounts and timing.