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.
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 a 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.
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.
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.
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 a store-bought version.
- Here is a great tutorial on how to cook fresh spinach - this recipe uses lemon juice and lemon juice which will pair well with the butternut squash, but you can also skip the lemon and/or lemon zest if you don't like it.
- No boil lasagna noodles. You can use no-boil lasagna noodles with this recipe! You might need to add about ½ 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.
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!
Bake this vegetarian lasagna at 375 F covered with foil for the first 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake for additional 10 minutes.
With this delicious meatless vegetable lasagna, you will have no leftovers!
How to make vegetarian butternut squash and spinach lasagna (step-by-step photos):
First, prepare the butternut squash filling. Using a 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:
Next, make spinach filling by mixing cooked spinach, Ricotta cheese, Mozzarella cheese, minced garlic, salt and pepper:
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 ⅓ of butternut squash filling on the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle lightly with mozzarella cheese.
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.
Spread half of spinach filling over the cooked noodles.
Top lightly with Mozzarella cheese:
Top with cooked lasagna noodles:
Spread another layer (⅓) of butternut squash mixture:
Sprinkle lightly with Mozzarella cheese:
Top with cooked lasagna noodles:
Spread the remaining half of spinach filling over the noodles. Top lightly with Mozzarella cheese.
Top with the final layer of cooked noodles:
Spread a generous amount of butternut squash filling (the remaining ⅓) over this final layer of noodles:
Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and remaining Mozzarella cheese (about ½ cup of Mozzarella):
Generously sprinkle the cheese with Italian seasoning, paprika, basil:
Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 min. Remove foil and bake additional 10 minutes.
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
Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna
Ingredients
Butternut Squash Filling:
- 2 cups butternut squash puree (about half of squash)
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- ½ cup milk or more, if needed
- ¼ teaspoon salt plus ⅛ teaspoon more
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Spinach Filling:
- 8 oz spinach (1 cup cooked spinach)
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- pepper to taste
Other Ingredients:
- 10 oz lasagna noodles cooked (for gluten free, use Tinkyada brown rice lasagna noodles)
- 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese or more
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese on top
- ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
Butternut Squash Filling:
- 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:
- Combine cooked spinach, Ricotta cheese, mozzarella, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix, taste, and add more salt and pepper, if needed.
- Note: The recipe I provide for how to cook spinach uses lemon juice and lemon zest which pairs nicely with butternut squash but you don't have to use lemon juice and/or lemon zest if you don't like it.
Cooking lasagna noodles:
- 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:
- 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 ⅓ 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).
- Spread half of spinach filling over the noodles. Top lightly with Mozzarella cheese. Top with cooked noodles.
- Spread another layer (⅓) of butternut squash mixture, then sprinkle lightly with Mozzarella cheese. Top with cooked noodles.
- Spread the remaining half of spinach filling over the noodles. Top lightly with Mozzarella cheese. Top with the final layer of cooked noodles.
- Spread a generous amount of butternut squash filling (the remaining ⅓) over this final layer of noodles, sprinkle with grated Parmesan and remaining mozzarella cheese (about ½ cup of mozzarella). Generously sprinkle the cheese with Italian seasoning, paprika, basil.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 min. Remove foil and bake additional 10 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Hello Julia! My daughter and a couple of granddaughters are vegetarian and I made this dish for them. My daughter was soooo thrilled she texted "I need to get this recipe!"
Julia can this be made ahead and frozen or kept in fridge for a couple of days before cooking
This is an amazing dish! I read through the comments before making and made some additions. I used a larger glass casserole dish. Added 1 cup more puree and thinned it to the consistency of tomato sauce with milk and water as I used precooked noodles. Added more spinach and used more noodles and cheese as the dish was larger. I cooked it for 45 min covered and 30 uncovered and then let it rest for 10 before we ate it. Amazing!
Have you prepped this before (say up to a day in advance) and then baked? Wondering how well that might work.
My husband and I are getting an overwhelming crop of squash (butternut and spaghetti) from our little backyard garden right now, plus our late planting of spinach is bursting up and needing to be used! We need a break from just straight up squash, and I think this is it. 🙂
I find that using soft goat cheese as a substitute to the ricotta in the squash adds an amazing tang to this dish. Anyway, this is an absolutely amazing comfort food dish that is probably going to be one of our staples.
Holy crap, what a delicious recipe. I went a little heavy on the first 2 layers of butternut, fortunately I made extra squash and had leftover ricotta so no biggie! Thanks for the great recipe!!!
I’ve made this a few time and it’s outstanding!! Do you think I can freeze this though? I was looking to make it for someone and hoping they can freeze it and cook later for a last minute meal. Thank you!
I'm planning on making this for my parents. Should I bake it first then freeze? Then when they pull out of freezer, what is the best way to reheat it?
This is a great recipe. I’ve made no changes and it’s been delightful every time. The dish is colorful and spices are just right. The recipe takes me a little longer to make as I don’t always have everything lined up just so. But if following the recipe beginning with making the puréed butternut squash ahead, you’ll have it made. I fix this for myself and freeze a portion, also I’ve taken the dish to Christmas Eve dinner! It was a smash!
Martha, I am happy to hear you've enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for taking the time to share this wonderful positive feedback and the 5-star review!
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I adore spinach, but I have often been frustrated by how quickly it wilts - one or two days delay in making the recipe and they are spoiled! As a working single mom, I had to do grocery shopping once a week, no more! I have found that chard - red chard, green chard - taste almost the same as spinach and keeps a lot better in the fridge. I rarely buy spinach anymore.
Rose, I love using cooked chard in recipes. I agree - it would work great in a recipe like that. Great suggestion! 🙂
I adore spinach, but I have often been frustrated by how quickly it wilts - one or two days delay in making the recipe and they are spoiled! As a working single mom, I had to do grocery shopping once a week, no more!
I just made this for the first time and it is delicious!!! Just a couple of notes - I also had to do a quick search to figure out the best way to cook the spinach for this recipe, like some other reviewers commented. Given how detailed the rest of the directions are, it would have been helpful for me if it had been more explicit on how to prepare the spinach for the filling.
When I make this again (which I definitely will), I plan to add a little bit of lemon juice/zest and a pinch of red pepper flakes when I cook the spinach. I think this will add a little bit of acidity and a touch of heat to balance out the richness of the squash and cheeses. Thank you so much for sharing! Love this recipe!
Jamie, thank you for this thoughtful, detailed, and very helpful feedback. I have updated the recipe with the link to my other recipe re: how to cook spinach - per your suggestion. I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe and took the time to write this comment! 🙂
This is the first time I’ve made a vegetable lasagna. It’s fantastic! It has wonderful flavors and my family was pleasantly surprised. It’s now on regular rotation for our meatless Mondays. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Stacy, you are very welcome. So glad you've added this recipe to your regular rotation! 🙂 Thank you for the 5-star review! 🙂
I love this recipe and have made it many times to the delight of my friends & family! My local groceries are out of butternut squash, and I’m hoping I could use sweet potato instead. Will it work?
Hannah, this recipe should work well with sweet potatoes. You can also roast acorn squash in a similar fashion as you would roast butternut squash and use acorn squash puree instead. Also, canned pumpkin puree would work, too.
I'm thinking that rutabaga and turnip could probably have a similar mouth feel as the squash or sweet potato (?)
Rose, I haven't tried either - I should though, to expand my tastes!
We made this tonight. Used frozen squash and then just put it in the blender with all the related ingredients. I used fresh spinach and just cooked it down while the squash was cooking. Super easy prep. We used the gluten free over ready noodles listed. They worked great. We added just 1/2cup extra milk (we use cashew milk) and cooked a few extra mins and it worked well! It was delicious!!
Amanda, I am so glad you enjoyed this! Thank you so much for taking the time to share this super-helpful and detailed feedback. It will be so useful for other readers! Happy Holidays! 🙂