This easy butternut squash lasagna recipe features oven ready lasagna noodles smothered in a savory roasted squash sauce and stuffed with herbed ricotta, mozzarella, and white beans. Every bite is packed with amazing flavor and creamy texture, but the preparation is surprisingly simple. It’s a fabulous vegetarian main or side dish for fall meals, Thanksgiving, or Christmas!
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Lizzie’s Notes
When winter squash season is still going strong but you want some new ways to prep it, make lasagna! This butternut squash lasagna features an ultra creamy sauce made by roasting and blending cubed squash. It’s so flavorful, nutritious, and colorful! Seriously, it’ll turn heads when you set it down on the table.
Plus, you can make the sauce (or assemble the entire lasagna!) in advance to cut back on prep time. I even recommend oven ready noodles that don’t require any boiling. Sounds like the perfect option for a holiday dinner, huh?!
I hope you enjoy this veggie-forward meal as much as I do. Be sure to leave a comment with your review if you make it!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Butternut squash: You’ll need about 3 pounds of squash for the recipe to yield about 8 cups cubed and 3 cups puree. Canned butternut squash puree is a convenient substitute if you don’t have time to cut and roast the squash. Alternatively, you can sub roasted delicata, honeynut, or acorn squash.
- Whole milk: Sub a plant-based milk, half and half, or heavy cream if you don’t have whole milk. Any kind of milk works, since you don’t need much and the squash is what provides most of the creaminess.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic cloves add a lot of flavor to the sauce for butternut squash lasagna, but you can substitute 2 teaspoons garlic powder if you don’t have fresh.
- Ricotta cheese: Use cottage cheese and cut back on the added salt if that’s what you have.
- Rubbed sage, ground nutmeg, salt: Consider adding some ground cinnamon or allspice for additional flavor if desired.
- Oven ready lasagna noodles (aka no boil): I love using these to cut back on prep time! I recommend Creamette or Whole Foods 365 brand, since some other oven ready options don’t work as well. You can of course use noodles that you have to boil if you can’t find oven ready ones.
- Shredded parmesan cheese: I like grating a block of parmesan myself, but pre-shredded works just as well.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese: Sub torn mozzarella from a log if that’s all you have, but shredded mozzarella will melt better.
- Parsley and basil: If you don’t have these herbs, sub chopped spinach to mix with the ricotta and add a teaspoon each of dried parsley and basil.
- Navy beans: I love adding beans to vegetarian lasagna recipes for a little extra protein! Navy beans are my favorite, since they are fairly small in size and easy to eat. You can sub other white beans, such as cannellini or Great Northern beans, if that’s what you have.
Instructions
The full recipe card for butternut squash lasagna is at the bottom of the post. Scroll down to see it. Here’s a preview of the instructions with photos to guide you in the kitchen.
Peel, deseed, and cut the butternut squash into cubes. See my tutorial on How to Cut Butternut Squash for more info. Toss the cubes in olive oil and roast until lightly browned and tender, about 25 to 30 minutes at 425 degrees F/218 degrees C.
Combine the roasted squash, whole milk, salt, rubbed sage, ground nutmeg, ricotta cheese, and garlic in a food processor fitted with the S-blade. Puree until smooth and creamy, adding dashes of milk as needed.
Combine ricotta cheese, chopped parsley and basil, salt, and parmesan.
Assemble the lasagna. Start by spreading a cup of the butternut squash sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Top with lasagna noodles.
Spoon another cup of sauce on top. Spread half of the ricotta cheese mixture and sprinkle a third of the mozzarella cheese.
Sprinkle half of the beans on top.
Assemble another layer of the same ingredients, followed by a third layer of noodles, the rest of the sauce, and the rest of the cheeses.
Bake the lasagna covered in foil for 25 to 30 minutes at 400 degrees F/204 degrees C. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 to 20 minutes until bubbling around the edges and lightly browned on top.
Storage, Reheating, and Make Ahead
Leftover lasagna can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 5 days. For best results and to avoid drying it out, reheat slices in a dish covered with aluminum foil in the oven at 350 degrees F/177 degrees C for 15 to 20 minutes. You can also use the microwave to reheat it in 45-second intervals on high if you’re in a pinch.
Making butternut squash lasagna can be time-consuming, so you may want to consider making some of the components in advance. Both the butternut squash sauce and ricotta mixture can be made up to 2 days in advance and kept in airtight containers in the refrigerator. You can also assemble the entire lasagna, wrap it tightly with foil, and keep in the refrigerator. Bake within 24 hours for the freshest taste.
If you want to freeze your lasagna, here are two options:
- Bake the lasagna first. Let it cool, slice into individual portions, wrap each one tightly with plastic wrap, and keep them in a tightly sealed freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Some home cooks also have luck freezing the entire baked lasagna. If you do this, I recommend wrapping the entire pan tightly in plastic wrap followed by foil then again with plastic wrap.
- To reheat frozen lasagna slices that have been pre-baked, remove the plastic wrap and reheat in a dish covered with foil in the oven at 350 degrees F/177 degrees C for 20 to 30 minutes. If you thaw them overnight in the fridge beforehand, you probably only need 15 minutes of reheating time.
- To reheat an entire frozen, pre-baked lasagna, let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Remove the plastic wrap underneath and on top of the foil, cover it back up with the foil, and bake at 350 degrees F/177 degrees C for 25 to 40 minutes. If you want to reheat it from frozen without thawing first, bake for 40 to 60 minutes. I recommend storing it in a dish that can go straight from the freezer to the oven, such as an aluminum foil pan or this one from Oxo.
- Freeze the unbaked lasagna. Assemble the lasagna, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap then foil and then again with plastic wrap. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight before removing the plastic wrap and following the recipe instructions for baking. To bake it straight from frozen, assemble it in an aluminum foil pan or a dish that can go from the freezer to the oven. Add 20 to 30 extra minutes to the cooking time (and remember to remove any plastic wrap).
More Pasta Recipes
Love this butternut squash lasagna? Check out these other recipes while you’re here:
📖 Recipe
Roasted Butternut Squash Lasagna
Equipment
- 9×13 baking dish
Ingredients
Roasted squash sauce
- 3 pounds butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cubed; about 8 cups
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- ½ cup whole milk
- 5 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon rubbed sage
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Ricotta layer
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Other layers
- 10 to 11 oven ready lasagna noodles
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 15 ounces navy beans - drained and rinsed
- Fresh basil - for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425℉/218℃. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Prepare the butternut squash by slicing off the stem and a small piece from the bottom. Cut it in half crosswise where the skinny top meets the curvy base. Slice each piece in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds with a spoon and discard. Remove the skin from each piece with a swivel peeler or knife. Cut each piece into strips ½-inch thick. Then, cut those into ½-inch cubes. See How to Cut Butternut Squash Into Cubes for photos and tips.
- Spread the cubes out on the prepared baking sheets. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat, then spread out in an even layer. Transfer the sheets to the oven and roast for 25 to 30 minutes until tender and lightly browned. Halfway through cooking time, rotate the baking sheets.
- While the squash is in the oven, gather and prep the rest of the ingredients to make the process go as smooth as possible.
- When the squash is finished roasting, transfer it to a food processor with the S-blade or a high-powered blender. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients: a cup of ricotta cheese, whole milk, garlic cloves, salt, sage, and nutmeg. Blend until the sauce is creamy and smooth, adding small amounts of additional milk as needed to promote blending without making it too liquidy. There will be about 4 cups of sauce.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the other cup of ricotta, ¼ cup parmesan, the chopped parsley and basil, and salt.
- Turn the oven temperature down to 400℉/204℃. Assemble the lasagna.
- Spoon 1 cup of the butternut squash sauce into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Add a layer of lasagna noodles. I typically use 3 and ½ noodles to cover the sauce. Then, spread another cup of sauce over those noodles. Spoon ½ of the ricotta mixture over the sauce. Sprinkle ¾ cup of the mozzarella cheese, followed by ½ the can of white beans. Add another layer of lasagna noodles, 1 cup of butternut squash sauce, the other ½ of the ricotta mixture, ¾ cup of mozzarella cheese, and the other ½ of the white beans. Add one more layer of noodles, the rest of the sauce (about 1 cup), the rest of the mozzarella cheese (about ½ cup), ¼ cup parmesan cheese, and fresh basil if desired.
- Cover the lasagna tightly with foil and transfer to the center rack of the preheated oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes covered with the foil. Carefully remove the foil and bake uncovered for another 10 to 20 minutes until bubbling around the edges and lightly browned on top.
- Let the lasagna cool for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve garnished with basil if desired. Enjoy!
- Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post)!
Notes
- Leftovers: Keep individual pieces in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 5 days. Reheat in a baking dish covered with foil for 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees F.
- Freezing baked lasagna: Bake the lasagna, let it cool, then cut into slices. Wrap each one tightly with plastic wrap, place in a tightly sealed freezer bag, and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can also freeze the whole baked lasagna. Let it cool, wrap the entire pan tightly in plastic wrap followed by foil then again by plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months. For best results, thaw frozen baked lasagna overnight in the refrigerator. Remove all plastic wrap, cover with foil, and reheat for 15 to 20 minutes (slices) or 30 to 40 minutes (whole) at 350 degrees F. If you want to reheat straight from frozen, make sure you assemble it in a freezer-to-oven safe dish. Remove all plastic wrap, cover it with foil, and reheat for 20 to 30 minutes (slices) to 40 to 60 minutes (whole).
- Freezing unbaked lasagna: Assemble completely, wrap the entire pan in plastic wrap followed by foil then by another layer of plastic wrap. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let it thaw completely in the fridge overnight before removing the plastic wrap, covering it back up with foil, and baking according to recipe instructions. If you want to bake it straight from frozen, remove the plastic wrap, cover it with foil, and add 20 to 30 minutes onto the baking time.
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