Butternut Squash Lasagna
Published 12/4/2020
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This butternut squash lasagna recipe is layered with delicious flavors and textures! From a delicious ricotta sauce, to butternut squash pieces, and a savory marinara sauce you won’t be disappointed!
Why Make Butternut Squash Lasagna?
There is nothing better than a big cheesy piece of lasagna! This butternut squash lasagna is a delicious spin on lasagna! You’ll never make another lasagna recipe again!
Why do we love this lasagna so much?
- It is packed with vegetables! Butternut squash, mushrooms, and the tomato sauce add so many vitamins and minerals to just one piece of lasagna.
- You get all the classic ingredients of a classic lasagna with some added fall ingredients.
- Lasagna feeds the masses! This is a great meal for the family, a holiday, or if you want to surprise someone with a delicious meal!
All the Ingredients You Need
Here is everything you need to make this healthy butternut squash lasagna.
- Olive oil
- Yellow onion
- Minced garlic
- Red wine
- Salt
- Balsamic vinegar
- Crushed tomatoes
- Diced tomatoes
- Italian Tuscan Seasoning
- Plain Greek yogurt
- Ricotta cheese
- Mozzarella
- Parmesan
- Fresh thyme
- Garlic powder
- Lasagna noodles
- Crimini mushrooms, chopped
- Butternut squash cubes
here’s a tip
Sometimes butternut squash is hard to cut! If you don’t want to mess with the hard part of chopping the butternut squash feel free to buy pre-cut butternut squash at the grocery store.
How to Make Butternut Squash Lasagna
You make this butternut squash lasagna the same way you make a classic lasagna! The most important thing you can do to end up with a successful lasagna is to make sure every layer is prepared and ready before constructing the lasagna.
- Red Sauce
- Cheese Sauce
- Noodles
- Vegetables
It’s All About the Layers!
Each layer of the lasagna is prepared individually, here are some tips for each layer!
Red Sauce- You want to make sure that you simmer the red sauce for 15-20 minutes to let all of the flavors simmer and turn into a delicious sauce. By adding the butternut squash and mushrooms to the sauce, you are starting the cooking process for the butternut squash, so don’t skip the simmer!
When layering the sauce with the noodles be sure you add enough sauce on top of the lasagna noodles, it helps them cook!
Cheese Sauce- We made the cheese sauce with part ricotta, part Greek yogurt, parmesan, mozzarella, thyme, and garlic! You want to combine all the ingredients for this cheese sauce in a bowl and spread it evenly throughout the whole lasagna.
Noodles- Boil the noodles so they still have a little bite to them. This is important because they will continue to cook in the oven.
It is also very important that when you strain the water from the noodles, you lay the noodles out flat and sprinkle them with oil so they don’t stick together.
Butternut Squash Lasagna 101
Is Butternut Squash Healthy?
Yes! Butternut squash is a healthy root vegetable that is packed with antioxidants and is a healthy carbohydrate choice.
Can I use butternut squash puree in this recipe?
We tested this recipe with cubed butternut squash, but if you only have butternut squash puree, try it! You would just add a few tablespoons to each layer after you add the tomato sauce to the lasagna.
How do I store butternut squash lasagna?
After the butternut squash lasagna is baked, let it cool completely before placing it in an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To reheat the lasagna, let it come to room temperature and then heat it up in the oven at 350ºF until the cheese melts and the middle of the lasagna is warm.
Can I freeze this butternut squash lasagna?
Yes! You can freeze butternut squash lasagna. Let the butternut squash cool completely before covering the lasagna with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Place the lasagna in the freezer and freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat the lasagna, let it come to room temperature and then heat it up in the oven at 350ºF until the cheese melts and the middle of the lasagna is warm.
Butternut Squash Lasagna
Ingredients
Red Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, separated
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 28 oz. crushed tomatoes
- 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons Italian Tuscan Seasoning
- 8 oz. crimini mushrooms, chopped
- 2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
Cheese Sauce
- 1/2 cup 2% plain Greek yogurt
- 16 oz. ricotta cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella, separated
- 1 cup parmesan, separated
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Other Ingredients
- 16-0 z. lasagna noodles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF and spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Next, heat a large pot over medium/high heat and add olive oil.
- When the olive oil is fragrant add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the pot and sauté the onion until it is translucent (3-4 minutes).
- Add garlic to the pot and sauté the garlic and the onion for an additional 3-4 minutes.
- Then, deglaze the pot with the red wine. Use a spatula to scrap the garlic and onion from the bottom of the pot.
- Add the salt, balsamic vinegar, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, squash, and mushrooms to the pot and stir all the ingredients together. Bring to a boil.
- Once the sauce has come to a boil, turn the heat to low, cover, and let the sauce simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- While the sauce is simmering, bring a separate large pot of salted water to a boil and add the lasagna noodles to the pot. Let the noodles cook until the they are al dente.
- Strain the water from the noodles and spread the noodles out on a baking sheet and drizzle them with olive oil to be sure they do not stick together.
- Finally, combine the ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup parmesan, fresh thyme, and garlic powder into a bowl and stir until combined.
- Construct the lasagna, first scoop 1/2 cup of the red sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish. Set a layer of noodles on top of the sauce and then use a spatula to spread 1/2 cup of cheese sauce on top of the noodles. Add 1/2 cup more of sauce on top of the cheese sauce. Repeat this until the casserole dish is almost full.
- Be sure to end with a layer of sauce and then sprinkle the rest of the parmesan and mozzarella cheese on top of the red sauce.
- Cover the lasagna with tin foil and place the lasagna in the oven for 35 minutes.
- Remove the tin foil from the casserole dish and place the lasagna back in the oven and turn the oven to broil. Broil the lasagna until the cheese turns golden brown.
- Remove the lasagna from the oven and let it sit for 10-15 minutes and then cut the lasagna into 9 pieces and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Looks great!
this was truly a labor of love but it turned out so well that i absolutely will be making it again! simple enough for my first foray into lasagna 🙂
This was absolutely terrible! So disappointed. 2
Th
Because my wife eats a plant based diet, I exchanged all dairy for plant based products, making sure to add extra seasoning to the cheese sauce to up the flavor limitations of plant based products. I also sub’d the mushrooms for bell peppers.
This is a DELICIOUS recipe and a winner dinner that I plan on making a staple.
Gorgeous! So glad you guys loved this!
I’m the exact opposite, give me a heavy, cheesy lasagna! I went a little crazy: I added more squash, more cheese, more garlic and I had leftover marinara- obviously added to the sauce. I didn’t cook my noodles, I just made sure they were covered with the cheesy saucy butternut goodness. I cooked for 60 minutes bc I made a BIG lasagna. Goal achieved, so full and I had to unbutton my pants. Making again for sure! Thx you 🙂
You are a queen plz come work with us.
This recipe totally knocked dinner out of the park for me tonight! I LOVE the light cheese (some lasagnas are too heavy/rich). I used portobellos, since I couldn’t find criminis, and added spinach to each layer. Delicious!
Thanks for doing such great recipes and content, ladies. I’ve loved you for years, have made so many of your recipes, and love every single one.
YUM!! Your lasagna looks amazing!