Butternut Squash Lasagna

Layers of lasagna noodles with butternut squash, cheese, and a creamy parmesan garlic sauce.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword butternut lasagna, butternut squash lasagna, butternut squash lasagna recipe

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 1 30

Total Time 2 15

Servings

Calories 542kcal

Author Lindsay Moe

Ingredients

7 cups diced butternut squash from about 2 small/medium butternut squashes
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
⅔ cup minced shallot
½ cup whole milk ricotta cheese
½ cup milk I used 2%
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 tablespoons salted butter
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups heavy cream
1 ½ tablespoon fresh minced sage plus more for garnishing if desired
1 tablespoon fresh minced rosemary
1 ½ cups freshly grated parmesan cheese divided
16 ounces uncooked lasagna noodles
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded fontina cheese
Crushed red pepper flakes optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Arrange the diced squash on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Stir to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 20 minutes.
Add the shallot to the pan with the squash, stir to combine, and return to the oven for another 15 minutes or until the shallot is soft and the squash is beginning to brown. After removing the squash, reduce the oven temperature to 375ºF.
Allow the squash and shallots to cool slightly before adding them to a food processor with the ricotta, milk, and nutmeg. Process until smooth, then taste and adjust the seasoning as needed (you may want more salt and pepper).
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add two big pinches of salt, and cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions. When done, drain the noodles in a colander and rinse with cold water until cool to the touch. Set aside.
Heat butter in a 2 quart saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Add the flour and cook, stirring, for another minute.
Add the heavy cream, ½ cup parmesan cheese, sage, and rosemary and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and let cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 5-10 minutes. Remove from the heat but keep warm until ready to use.
In a medium bowl, use your hands to mix together the mozzarella, fontina, and 1 cup of parmesan cheese.
To assemble the lasagna, spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
Add a little cream sauce to the bottom of the pan and spread it out. Top this with four lasagna noodles. Spread ⅓ of the squash mixture on top of the noodles and top that with ¼ of the mozzarella mixture.
Repeat these layers of sauce, noodles, squash, and cheese two more times so that you have three layers of everything. You don’t need too much sauce in these layers, just a little bit for each area of the lasagna.
Top these layers with another layer of sauce, noodles, and the remaining sauce. Spread the final layer of sauce out to completely cover the noodles. Top this with the remaining cheese.
Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil and bake at 375ºF for 30 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake for another 10-20 minutes or until everything is melted, bubbly, and beginning to brown.
Let the lasagna rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Top with fresh chopped sage and crushed red pepper flakes if desired.

Notes

Tips for customizing butternut squash lasagna

Swap the homemade garlic parmesan sauce for a jar of store bought alfredo sauce
Roast your butternut squash simply cut in half with the seeds removed, coating in olive oil and sprinkling with salt and pepper, adjusting the baking time as needed
Add more fresh chopped sage and crushed red pepper flakes to taste
Add an extra layer of plain ricotta
Thaw a box of frozen chopped spinach, squeeze it to remove excess moisture, and add it to the butternut squash puree

How to layer this lasagna

Here is a reference you can check off to keep track of your lasagna layers. They are listed in the order you would put them in the pan (cream sauce goes in first, cheese blend is on the very top):

Cream sauce
Lasagna sheets
Squash
Cheese blend
Cream sauce
Lasagna sheets
Squash
Cheese blend
Cream sauce
Lasagna sheets
Squash
Cheese blend
Cream sauce
Lasagna sheets
Cream sauce
Cheese blend

Nutrition