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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.
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.
Notes
Make it GLUTEN-FREE
- Use brown rice gluten-free lasagna noodles (or any other kind of GF lasagna noodles) and follow all the recipe instructions as-is.
How to use 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.
How to make it 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!)
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.
This was amazing but definitely took some time. I added ground sage sausage to mine and it was perfect! I also used cottage cheese instead of ricotta. Very good and I will Definitely make this a fall staple at ourhouse
Kelly, so glad you liked this recipe! It does take time to get everything together and assemble this lasagna. Your substitutions/additions sound so good: ground sage sausage, cottage cheese - YUM!
could you substitute plain greek yogurt for the ricotta in both fillings/
No, you need a thicker cheese, such as ricotta. Greek yogurt will be too runny.
how many people does this serve? Can it be doubled? I want to serve this for a fall holiday dinner. I'm having 12-14 people.
This recipe serves 8 people. You can easily double the recipe and use 2 casserole pans.
This was incredible! I made it for myself and my best friend for lunch. While I always appreciate a good vegetarian dish, I added a shredded rotisserie chicken to give it more protein. 🙂 I love butternut squash!
Thank you, Rebecca! I am glad you're making this recipe in February, well after the holiday season! 🙂 I love butternut squash myself and would eat this anytime I can find a butternut squash!
I'm really looking forward to trying this recipe. was wondering, what adjustment would you recommend for regular lasagne sheets without pre-cooking?
I used Braille Oven-Ready lasagne sheets. IThe only adjustment I made was to add about 1/2 cup vegetable stock to the squash purée (in addition to the milk called for in the recipe).
If you aren’t concerned about making this vegetarian you could use chicken stock. I might also recommend adding cooked crumbled bacon or pancetta to add a more savory note.
*Barilla, not Braille
Thanks, Debbie, for your comment! And, thank you for the tips!
Why can't you use "no-boil noodles". It looks delicious.
I haven't tried it with no-boil noodles. I cooked the lasagna noodles before adding them to this dish.
Do you think you could make this with zuchinni noodles? What adjustments would need to be made?
If you want to use sliced zucchini instead of lasagna noodles, I think you just follow the recipe as is, and you're good to go! Great idea to use zucchini, by the way!
I made this for my son's family this evening and they loved it! Flavor rates five out of five. It is a little labor intensive though, so it's not something I'd be making frequently. I did it over two days, cooking and peeling the squash the day before.
So glad you enjoyed it! You're absolutely right: it is somewhat labor intensive, but so worth the effort once made! 🙂
How many calories is one serving of this?
I just made this and it was lovely! Only I veganized it! Used vegan Parmesan and mozzarella, then made ricotta out of tofu and lemon juice (recipe on allrecipes.com). I used oven ready lasagna noodles as well and they worked just fine. I added a little cornstarch to the butternut squash filling for firmness, it got a little soupy and that fixed the problem. Next time I’d add some breadcrumbs on top too. What a delicious dinner!
Thank you, Laura, for sharing your tips on how you made this lasagna vegan! Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
I am making this for the second time, absolutely delish, I’m gonna try replacing the milk with 1/2 and 1/2 but I do think the recipe is awesome as posted
Thank you, Barb! So glad you've been enjoying this recipe! Comments like yours make my day! 🙂
I have made this a couple times and love it! I wonder if I can make it ahead of time, like a day ahead, and what’s the best way to do this. Thanks for this great recipe,
Thank your this recipe! It turned out quite elegant and delicious! I read through the comments from those who had tried the recipe at home. Here are the changes I came up with for Butternut Squash Filling: 3 cups squash puree, 1 1/2 cups low fat ricotta, 1/2 c half &half instead of milk, and sage instead of nutmeg. This made the filling thicker and able to stand up under weight of other layers. For Spinach Filling: 5 oz bag fresh spinach/arugula leaves. (I think the nutty flavor of arugula goes well with the squash...) Wilted the spinach mix in microwave for 1 min, then stirred in 1/2 cup goat cheese crumbles instead of ricotta, which melted with the warm spinach. Along with rest of spinach filling ingredients I added 1 tsp champagne vinegar and mixed well. This and the goat cheese gave the "tang" needed to offset the creamy butternut squash. Last, I used "no-boil" lasagne and brushed each layer of noodles with milk as I laid them out in the pan to moisten. I added an extra 10 min to baking time. So good.
Can’t wait to make this for an upcoming dinner party. I would like to use fresh lasagna sheets — do you think this will work?
Very good healthy alternative to a classic comfort food! Only variation for me was using one box of thawed frozen squash. I believe it made the purée more of a sauce but created enough moisture to use the no-boil noodles.