Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna

This Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna is a deliciously layered sheet pan meal combining roasted butternut squash, fresh spinach, and creamy ricotta between sheets of tender lasagna noodles. Baked to golden perfection, it’s a cozy, vegetarian twist on a classic sheet pan lasagna that’s perfect for feeding a crowd.

Course dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword Butternut squash and spinach lasagna

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 1 15

Servings Servings

Calories 408kcal

Author Bon Appeteach

Ingredients

Butternut Squash Sauce

2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 large Butternut Squash cubed
1 Yellow Onion quartered
6 cloves Garlic
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
2 tsp Dried Thyme
2 1/4 cups Vegetable Stock
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese grated

Spinach Ricotta Filling

1 tsp Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic minced
5 oz Fresh Spinach chopped
1 1/2 cups Ricotta
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese grated
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes optional
1/2 tsp Salt

Pasta Essentials

1 box Lasagna Noodles broked into 4th's
2 1/2 cups Mozzarella Cheese shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce:

Preheat the oven to 425 F.
Peel and cube a butternut squash and add the cubes to a sheet pan.
Add in the roughly chopped onion and whole garlic cloves over the top.
Cover the vegetables in the 2 tbsp of oil and then season and mix with the salt, black pepper, and thyme.
Roast the vegetables for 40-45 minutes or until the squash is fork tender.
Remove it from the oven and let it cool briefly before adding the squash mixture into a high-powered blender (or in a pot with an immersion blender) along with the vegetable stock, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese. Blend until smooth. Note- If the mixture is too thick you can add extra veggie stock or wait and add some pasta water to thin it out.

Spinach Ricotta Filling:

In a skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
Add in the chopped fresh spinach and optional red pepper flakes and cook until the spinach is wilted.
Remove the mixture from the skillet and place it into a fine mesh strainer or into a cheese cloth and remove the excess liquid (this prevents the ricotta from getting watery).
Add the spinach mixture to a bowl with the ricotta, Parmesan cheese, and salt. Mix until combined and set aside.

Preparing the Pasta and Assembly:

Break the lasagna noodles up into pieces (four pieces per noodle works well) and bring a large pot of water to boil. Once boiling, boil the pasta per the package directions and drain in a colander (reserve some extra pasta water for the sauce if needed).
In a large mixing bowl, add the cooked noodles, the blended butternut squash sauce, and 1.5 cups of the shredded mozzarella. Fold it all together until the noodles are coated.
Pour the entire mixture onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Spread it evenly into the pan and then add spoon sized dollops of the spinach ricotta mixture across the top.
Sprinkle the remaining shredded mozzarella and Parmesan cheese across the top.
Place in the preheated 425 F. oven and bake on the middle top rack for 30 minutes until golden brown.
Let cool 5 minutes and then cut into squares, serve, and enjoy!

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