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.
Sara L.
Fabulous!!! Used freshly grated nutmeg, a little more than required. Added cayenne to the spinach and quickly sautéed the spinach and garlic before adding to the cheese. Also roasted a large red onions along with the butternut when I made the purée and added the onion to the spinach mixture. My husband was raving! Can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow!
Julia
So happy you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for your wonderful comment! Great idea to add a dash of cayenne pepper and a roasted red onion to the spinach mixture. Delicious additions!
Julia
So do you cook the spinach beforehand? 8oz of cooked spinach equals how much uncooked since it wilts so much?
Julia
Yes, I cooked the spinach in advance. I cooked 8 oz of fresh spinach which resulted in about 1 cup of cooked spinach.
Rebekah
Made this last night and the whole family loved it! I think it’d also be great with Gruyere cheese..so delish!
Julia
So glad you liked this recipe!
Carol
This looks delicious. I have been looking for a good butternut squash lasagna recipe. I intend to try this one first. I do have one question. I like to make my own pasta. The home made stuff takes very little time to cook. I am wondering if I should use as is, or should I go ahead and cook the sheets of lasagna first, before putting the casserole together. Thank you for your help.
Julia
I admire you for making your own pasta! In one of the comments for this recipe, it was mentioned that they used no-boil noodles, soaking them in hot water for a few minutes before adding and that it worked great! Another suggestion would be to add more liquid to the butternut squash puree so that the pasta has more liquid to absorb. And bake it a little bit longer.
Heather Thaung
This was so good. I added cayenne to the spinach which cut the creaminess. Not that the creaminess was an issue. 10 out of 10.
Julia
So happy to hear that! What a great idea to add a touch of cayenne pepper!
Roxanne
My family is doing a flexitarian diet and this recipe really fit the bill. I did tweak a few things. I added sliced sauteed mushrooms as an additional layer, used part skim ricotta.. I also doubled the minced garlic and a pinch of chili flakes. PLUS I used whole grain lasagna noodles, which I was kind of concerned about because they seemed pretty firm after boiling. If you are looking for a classic lasagna recipe this probably isn't going to satisfy, BUT if you want lasagna with a great flavorful healthy option this is perfect! Thanks for the recipe!
Julia
You are very welcome, Roxanne! I am so glad you enjoyed this lasagna. Your additions sound delicious. Love the addition of mushrooms, extra garlic, and a pinch of chili flakes.
Michelle
This looks so delicious! Any suggestions about cooking ahead? How does it do with reheating? We’re thinking of making and bringing it to a sick relative. Any tips would be appreciated.
Julia
Yes, you can prepare this lasagna ahead of time. Just assemble everything in the casserole dish, cover airtight and refrigerate until you are ready to bake it. At which point, remove the air-tight cover, cover with the aluminum foil and bake according to the instructions.
Irene
Can this be made in advance and frozen?
Ashley
I am curious about this too!
Julia
Yes, you can definitely prepare this ahead of time. Just assemble everything in the casserole dish, cover airtight and refrigerate until you are ready to bake it. At which point, remove the air-tight cover, cover with the aluminum foil and bake according to the instructions.
Beth
Hi,
I'm looking forward to making this for Christmas dinner main dish. Would baby kale work? Also does Myoko's mozzarella work well in this recipe? I am a huge fan of the Violife parmesan would never know it isn't dairy. Anyhow thank you for the recipe!
happy holidays
Beth
Julia
Beth, Happy Holidays! Yes, kale would work great in this recipe.
Dena
Julia, can you answer the question above. How can you prepare this ahead of time, or can you?
Julia
Yes, you can definitely prepare this ahead of time. Just assemble everything in the casserole dish, cover airtight and refrigerate until you are ready to bake it. At which point, remove the air-tight cover, cover with the aluminum foil and bake according to the instructions.
Maia
Hi, I just made this and it was super good! My husband and I were wondering though if you can think of anything we could add next time that would add some acid to it. It is just SOOOOO creamy, which is great, but I think it would be even better with a little something to cut the creaminess a bit. Thoughts on what would pair well with the butternut squash??
Thanks for a great recipe!
Amanda
I would prob put a little hot sauce on it for acid and spice!! 🙂 Or serve with a salad with a lemon vinaigrette to complement the creaminess!
Julia
I think spinach salad or arugula salad tossed with some toasted nuts and served with balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing would be a great side!
Julia
You can sprinkle the creamy parts of the lasagna with a small amount of freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Nammi
YUmmm. I am not vegetarian but this looks so good!!
Julia
Enjoy!
Angela W Broyles
We really love this recipe! I have made it three times... once adding chicken and once adding smoked turkey- both ways are delish! The last time I added sauteed mushrooms, DH loved it! I used no-boil whole wheat noodles, soaking them in hot water for a few minutes before adding, worked great!
Julia
Angela, thank you! I am so happy you have been enjoying this recipe and made it 3 times! Thank you for such a wonderful review!
Caretta
I used no-boil GF pasta, added 1/2 cup more milk, and baked for 10 extra minutes and the noodles are still hard as a rock...
Julia
The recipe says to use cooked lasagna noodles. I've used gluten free brown rice lasagna noodles which I cooked first, and then added together with the other ingredients.
Tree jay
Delish! I used uncooked oven baked noodles and it came out perfect. I like my pasta with a little bite! For this recipe I probably made a 1.3 or 1.5 batch (a little extra of everything). Ended up adding about a half cup of chopped fresh basil to the cooked spinach, about a cup of extra liquid to the butternut squash, and also added a few teaspoons of cinnamon and some maple syrup to taste to the puree. Bomb!
Julia
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Molly Lundquist
Tree Jay-- thanks for the tip. Can you tell us what brand of no-boil noodles you used? A previous commenter said her no-bake noodles didn't come out so well...even when she added 1/2 cup more milk. Would love to give this recipe a shot. It looks wonderful. Thank
Debbie
This lasagna looks delicious! Could you use the noodles that don’t need to be cooked first?