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Pasta Chicken

Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna

Published: Nov 08, 2014 | 409 Comments

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Looking for the best vegetarian lasagna recipe? You’re in the right place. This Butternut Squash and Spinach lasagna will become one of your favorites!  This lasagna is stuffed with vegetables and combines Ricotta, Parmesan, and Mozzarella cheeses to create the ultimate Fall and Winter comfort food.

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This delicious veggie lasagna recipe is healthy, meatless, gluten-free friendly, and perfect for the Fall and Winter season.   Because it uses butternut squash, it’s a great choice as holiday vegetarian main dish or just a holiday recipe.    It’s so good, it’s popular with kids!

To me this is a great recipe to make any time of year, but because this lasagna has butternut squash, it is surely a good holiday veggie main dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s Eve.

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This vegetarian recipe uses butternut squash puree, which you can easily make by following my easy step-by-step tutorial: how to make butternut squash puree. Or, you can always buy pureed butternut squash at the store.

easy spinach lasagna recipe

I also want to warn you that this is my most photo-intensive post yet with lots of step-by-step photos which I think are quite helpful to make this delicious vegetarian lasagna. So, if you want to go directly to the bottom of this post – just scroll down.

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Cooking tips

  • Use cooked lasagna noodles. Bring a large pot of water to boil, cook the noodles al dente, rinse each noodle with cold water and drain. This will guarantee the perfect texture!
  • Make this vegetarian lasagna gluten free! Use brown rice gluten free lasagna noodles and follow all the recipe instructions as is.
  • For butternut squash filling, make your own butternut squash puree from scratch or use store-bought version.
  • No boil lasagna noodles.  You can use no boil lasagna noodles with this recipe!  You might need to add about 1/2 cup of milk or water or vegetable stock to the squash purée, in addition to the milk called for in the recipe.  (Thank you, Debbie, for your great tip!)  You might also have to bake the lasagna for 10 extra minutes.
  • Make this lasagna vegan.  Use vegan Parmesan and Mozzarella cheeses, then make vegan ricotta out of tofu and lemon juice using this recipe.  (Thank you, Laura, for this wonderful tip!)
  • Don’t like vegetarian and want protein or meat?  No problem.  Add rotisserie chicken, or cooked crumbled bacon in between lasagna layers.

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I also tested this butternut squash and spinach lasagna with gluten free noodles, and it works great! I used Tinkyada gluten free brown rice lasagna noodles – almost the whole 10 oz package.  So, yes, this recipe is gluten-free friendly, for sure!

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Bake this vegetarian lasagna at 375 F covered with foil for the first 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake for additional 10 minutes.

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With this delicious meatless vegetable lasagna, you will have no leftovers!

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How to make vegetarian butternut squash and spinach lasagna (step-by-step photos):

First, prepare the butternut squash filling. Using food processor, combine butternut squash puree with Ricotta cheese, milk, salt and nutmeg. Add more milk if needed (to make the butternut squash filling very creamy).  Mix very well, taste and add more salt, if needed:

Making butternut squash puree in a food processor

Next, make spinach filling by mixing cooked spinach, Ricotta cheese, Mozzarella cheese, minced garlic, salt and pepper:

Mixing spinach, ricotta cheese, and mozzarella cheese

Mixing spinach, garlic, ricotta cheese, and mozzarella cheese for the lasagna

Prepare a baking dish – I used a casserole dish 11 inches x 8.5 inches x 3 inches deep. Grease the bottom of the baking pan lightly with olive oil spray. Spread 1/3 of butternut squash filling on the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle lightly with mozzarella cheese.

Spread butternut squash puree over the bottom of the baking pan, then sprinkle some Mozzarella cheese on top

Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package instructions, rinse with cold water and drain. Top the first layer of butternut squash mixture with cooked lasagna noodles without overlapping – as you can see I used 3 noodles. Use as many noodles as you need for your baking dish.

Place 3 lasagna noodles over butternut squash

Spread half of spinach filling over the cooked noodles.

Spread spinach, ricotta cheese, and Mozzarella cheese mixture over lasagna noodles

Top lightly with Mozzarella cheese:

Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese over spinach, ricotta cheese and Mozzarella cheese mixture

Top with cooked lasagna noodles:

Place lasagna noodles over the spinach mixture

Spread another layer (1/3) of butternut squash mixture:

Spread more butternut squash puree over the lasagna noodles

Sprinkle lightly with Mozzarella cheese:

Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over butternut squash puree you just spread over lasagna noodles

Top with cooked lasagna noodles:

Place lasagna noodles over the butternut squash puree

Spread the remaining half of spinach filling over the noodles. Top lightly with Mozzarella cheese.

Spread spinach mixture then Mozzarella cheese over lasagna noodles

Top with the final layer of cooked noodles:

Top the spinach mixture with lasagna noodles

Spread a generous amount of butternut squash filling (the remaining 1/3) over this final layer of noodles:

Spread butternut squash puree over lasagna noodles

Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and remaining Mozzarella cheese (about 1/2 cup of Mozzarella):

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Generously sprinkle the cheese with Italian seasoning, paprika, basil:

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Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 min. Remove foil and bake additional 10 minutes.

Cover lasagna dish with foil

Your veggie lasagna is ready!

Recipes with Butternut Squash

Since you’re looking at this butternut squash and spinach lasagna, I assume you like butternut squash. Here are a few other delicious recipes using this wonderful ingredient.  All these recipes are also vegetarian and meatless.

  • Butternut Squash and Spinach Tortellini
  • Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Cinnamon Butternut Squash, Pecans, and Cranberries
  • Black Bean and Butternut Squash Enchilada Casserole
  • Quinoa Salad with Butternut Squash, Pine Nuts, Caramelized Onions and Feta cheese

Butternut Squash Salads:

  • Autumn Salad with Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Seeds
  • Butternut Squash Salad with Spinach, Pecans, Cranberries, and Pomegranate
4.93 from 78 votes
Print
Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
40 mins
Total Time
1 hr 10 mins
 

Delicious vegetarian lasagna recipe that uses vegetables (butternut squash, spinach), and three cheeses (Ricotta, Mozzarella, and Parmesan)!   Perfect as a veggie main dish for every day.  Healthier version of lasagna.  Also, a great holiday recipe for Thanksgiving or Christmas! 

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 401 kcal
Author: Julia
Ingredients
Butternut Squash Filling:
  • 2 cups butternut squash puree (about half of squash)
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup milk or more, if needed
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt plus 1/8 teaspoon more
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Spinach Filling:
  • 8 oz spinach (1 cup cooked spinach)
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • pepper to taste
Other Ingredients:
  • 10 oz lasagna noodles cooked (for gluten free, use Tinkyada brown rice lasagna noodles)
  • 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese or more
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese on top
  • 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon Paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon Basil
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
Butternut Squash Filling:
  1. For this filling, you will need to have pre-cooked butternut squash puree. Using food processor, combine 2 cups of butternut squash puree with Ricotta cheese, milk, salt and nutmeg. Add more milk if needed (to make the butternut squash filling very creamy). Mix very well, taste and add more salt, if needed.
Spinach Filling:
  1. Combine spinach, Ricotta cheese, mozzarella, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix, taste, and add more salt and pepper, if needed.
Cooking lasagna noodles:
  1. Bring a very large pot of water to boil, and cook lasagna noodles according to package instructions. Rinse in cold water, drain. Using knife, trim noodles to fit your baking dish (if necessary).
How to assemble vegetarian lasagna:
  1. Prepare a baking dish - I used a casserole dish 11 inches x 8.5 inches x 3 inches deep. Grease the lasagna dish lightly with olive oil spray. Spread 1/3 of butternut squash filling on the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle lightly with mozzarella cheese. Top with cooked lasagna noodles without overlapping (I used 3 noodles).
  2. Spread half of spinach filling over the noodles. Top lightly with Mozzarella cheese. Top with cooked noodles.
  3. Spread another layer (1/3) of butternut squash mixture, then sprinkle lightly with Mozzarella cheese. Top with cooked noodles.
  4. Spread the remaining half of spinach filling over the noodles. Top lightly with Mozzarella cheese. Top with the final layer of cooked noodles.
  5. Spread a generous amount of butternut squash filling (the remaining 1/3) over this final layer of noodles, sprinkle with grated Parmesan and remaining mozzarella cheese (about 1/2 cup of mozzarella). Generously sprinkle the cheese with Italian seasoning, paprika, basil.
  6. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 min. Remove foil and bake additional 10 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna
Amount Per Serving
Calories 401 Calories from Fat 162
% Daily Value*
Fat 18g28%
Saturated Fat 11g69%
Cholesterol 64mg21%
Sodium 549mg24%
Potassium 477mg14%
Carbohydrates 35g12%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 23g46%
Vitamin A 6995IU140%
Vitamin C 15.5mg19%
Calcium 449mg45%
Iron 1.9mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Filed Under: Butternut squash, Cheese, Dinner, Gluten Free, Holidays, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Pasta, Recipe, Ricotta, Spinach, Vegetables, Vegetarian Published: Nov 08, 2014 409 Comments

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Chefyl

    Feb 23, 2021 at 9:48 pm

    I chose this recipe because i had most of the ingredients handy and in need of use (i had no ricotta, but did have tofu and nutritional yeast to hand, so all was good). I may have mismeasured the spinach, because it seemed rather sparse, but i bulked the spinach layers out with some black beans.The pictures were so helpful– especially since i have a matching casserole dish, so could tell exactly how many lasagna noodles to prepare! My SO and i have enjoyed the leftovers from this meal for several days now 🙂

    Reply
  2. kathy raimondi

    Jan 21, 2021 at 11:29 pm

    Yum Yum! This was so good! I did crumble bacon on the top but otherwise I followed the whole recipe except for cutting it in half as it’s just my husband and I. Thank you so much! I will definitely make this again and look forward to making a large one for my kids and grand kids one of these days when we can see them again!

    Reply
  3. Mary

    Jan 12, 2021 at 7:26 pm

    Made this last night for the first time and loved it. Reheated for lunch today and maybe even better. I only had a large 13×9 baking pan which was a little too big. Will get a little smaller one like you used for next time.

    Reply
  4. Emily

    Jan 11, 2021 at 6:05 pm

    I’ve made this numerous times with rave reviews. I’ve used roasted acorn squash as well as butternut, upped the garlic and cheese or left as recipe instructed. I’ve also used two smaller 8×8 aluminum pans, one for dinner one for the freezer, with measurements the same. This is a nice, substantial vegetarian dish but also is great with a spoonful of bolognese (we’ve had it both ways). My older parents love it as much as my kids (they call it my ‘peanut butter’ lasagna because of the butternut squash 🙂

    Reply
  5. Marie

    Jan 10, 2021 at 11:20 pm

    As others have noted this recipe was time consuming but worth it because it was delicious. I was concerned it would be too dry but it was not. I am tempted to try using some feta cheese or lemon zest to the spinach-ricotta filling, to offset the sweetness just a little. I also thought it would be fun to try adding some thinly sliced red peppers or caramelized thinly sliced (not diced) onions to the butternut squash filling, to add a but more texture.

    Reply
  6. Gabrielle

    Jan 06, 2021 at 5:50 pm

    This is by far my family’s favorite meal! We are making it tonight in fact! Absolutely love it!! Tried and true!

    Reply
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