Butternut Squash Lasagna

Perfect for colder months, holidays gatherings like Thanksgiving and Christmas, and special-occasion nights like New Year’s Eve, this butternut squash lasagna ticks all the boxes. Featuring the wonderfully sweet-savory winter squash and a creamy filling layered between lasagna noodles, this baked pasta dish is the ultimate comfort food. It’s also one of our favorite lasagna recipes.

For this butternut squash lasagna recipe, it’s worth taking the extra steps of roasting the squash and adding it to a rosemary-infused cream sauce. The squash is so soft, it practically melts into the cheesy layers. Instead of tomato sauce, this comes together with a bechamel, a white sauce made with butter, flour and milk. By infusing the milk with rosemary, you get a nice hint of the fresh herb without it being overpowering (or having to chop it!). Here’s how to make this delicious butternut squash lasagna.

Ingredients for Butternut Squash Lasagna

• Butternut squash: The sweet, autumnal flavor is perfect in this cheesy lasagna. Don’t be daunted by how to cut a butternut squash—it’s really easy. You can also use precut butternut, or substitute it with sweet potato or another winter squash like sugar pumpkin or carnival squash.
• Lasagna noodles: This recipe uses lasagna noodles that you cook first, but you could also use no-boil noodles, which cook with the sauce in the oven.
• Flour: All-purpose flour helps make a roux alongside butter for the base of the sauce. Once you add another liquid, in this case milk, it becomes a rich, luscious white sauce. Without flour, the sauce won’t become thick and velvety.
• Milk: You can use 2% or whole milk for this recipe.
• Cheese: Buttery and smooth, fontina is one of the best melting cheeses, perfect for this kind of creamy dish. Parmesan adds umami and nuttiness both inside and on top of the lasagna.
• Whipping cream: For even more savory richness, a layer of unsweetened whipped cream tops the lasagna before it goes into the oven. It bakes right into the pasta.

Directions

Step 1: Roast the butternut squash

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Preheat your oven to 425°. Divide butternut squash evenly between two greased 15x10x1-inch baking pans. Drizzle the squash with olive oil, and toss to coat. Bake the squash, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until it’s tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Editor’s Tip: Roasting the squash first makes it nice and soft, and it adds a slightly caramelized, rich flavor.

Step 2: Cook the noodles, and infuse the milk

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Meanwhile, cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions. Then, in a small saucepan, combine the milk and rosemary, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer the milk, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Strain the mixture. Reserve the infused milk, and discard the rosemary. Set the infused milk aside.

Editor’s Tip: You can add to or replace the rosemary with other fragrant herbs like thyme and sage. Both are natural pairings with butternut squash.

Step 3: Make the white sauce

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In a Dutch oven, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, about one minute. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper until blended well into the butter, making a sort of paste. Gradually add milk, whisking to incorporate the roux, and bring it to a boil. Cook and stir until slightly thickened, about two minutes. Set aside 1 cup of the sauce, then stir the squash into the remaining sauce.

Editor’s Tip: Once you add the flour to the butter mixture, you can cook it for a minute or two before you add the milk. This will help cook out any raw-flour taste.

Step 4: Build the lasagna

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Reduce the oven setting to 375°. Drain the noodles if you haven’t already.

Spread the reserved 1 cup sauce into the bottom of a greased 13×9-inch baking dish. Layer with three noodles, half of the squash mixture, half of the fontina cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers once. Top with remaining noodles.

Beat the cream until soft peaks form. Spread the whipped cream over the top of the assembled lasagna. Sprinkle the top with the remaining Parmesan cheese.

Editor’s Tip: It’s important to layer the ingredients this way so you get the proper sauce-to-noodle ratio. The cheeses melt into the squash-filled sauce, and the noodles absorb all the flavors.

Step 5: Bake the lasagna

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Bake the lasagna, covered with aluminum foil, for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake 10 to 15 minutes longer, until the lasagna is bubbly and golden brown. Let it stand for 15 minutes before cutting into it.

Editor’s Tip: You first bake the lasagna covered to retain moisture so it doesn’t dry out as it cooks. You then bake it a little longer uncovered to get that nice, golden-brown, cheesy top. It’s important to let the lasagna rest before cutting so that everything firms up. Otherwise, you’ll get messy, oozing slices.

Butternut Squash Lasagna Variations

• Lose the gluten: For a gluten-free version of our butternut squash lasagna recipe, replace the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend, and use gluten-free lasagna noodles.
• Make it plant-forward: Add spinach, kale, mushrooms, bell peppers or broccoli (or all!) to the lasagna. It’s best to cook any of these first to remove excess moisture so you don’t make the lasagna a sloppy mess. If you want to incorporate something like frozen spinach to this lasagna, thaw it first, and wring out in a towel before adding to the layers.
• Add more protein: Make this butternut squash lasagna ever heartier by adding shredded rotisserie chicken or cooked bacon or pancetta.

How to Store and Freeze Butternut Squash Lasagna

To store butternut squash lasagna, first let it cool completely. Then, cover it tightly, and refrigerate; it’s good for up to four days.

To freeze the lasagna, let it cool. Then, cover the entire pan of lasagna in storage wrap and aluminum foil, or wrap individual slices and store them in a freezer-safe resealable bag or container. The lasagna will last up to three months in the freezer.

You can reheat an entire pan of lasagna in a 350° oven, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, then uncovered for about 15 minutes more, until it’s heated through. A great way to tell if it’s done is by sticking a knife into it and feeling the knife to see if it’s cold to the touch. You can also use a thermometer to make sure the inside reaches 165°.

If it’s been stored in the refrigerator, let it come to room temperature before putting in the oven. If it’s been stored in the freezer, let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then let it come to room temperature.

Of course, popping a slice in the microwave also works!

Butternut Squash Lasagna Tips

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Can you use no-boil lasagna noodles for butternut squash lasagna?

No-boil noodles are perfectly fine to use in our butternut squash lasagna recipe. Most no-boil noodles don’t have those pretty frilly edges, however, so if it’s the aesthetics you’re after, stick with the noodles that need to boil.

Can you make this lasagna ahead of time?

Lasagna is a great dish to make ahead of time. Assemble the lasagna, cover the whole pan tightly, and stash it in the refrigerator the day before you want to bake it. Let it come to room temperature before popping in the oven to bake.