Description
Rich and creamy vegetarian lasagna featuring roasted butternut squash mixed with ricotta, spinach béchamel sauce, and layers of gouda and provolone cheese. Perfect make-ahead comfort food for fall and winter entertaining.
Ingredients
For the Roasted Butternut Squash Layer:
- 3 lbs butternut squash, peeled and cubed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 15 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
For the Béchamel Sauce:
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups whole milk, warmed
- 1 cup shredded gouda or fontina cheese
- 5 oz fresh spinach (or 10 oz frozen, thawed and drained)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- Salt and pepper to taste
For Assembly:
- 12 lasagna noodles, cooked according to package directions
- 8 oz provolone cheese, sliced thin
- 4 oz thinly sliced prosciutto (optional)
- Extra herbs for garnish
Instructions
Get your oven cranked to 375°F. Cut up that squash into chunks – doesn’t have to be perfect, just relatively even so they cook at the same speed. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper like you mean it. Spread them out on your biggest pan because crowded squash = sad steamy squash instead of beautiful roasted goodness. Stick it in for 25-30 minutes until you can poke them with a fork without any resistance and they’ve got those gorgeous golden brown edges.
Let that squash cool down so you don’t burn your fingers (voice of experience here). Mash it up with a fork but leave some texture – we’re not making baby food. Fold it into the ricotta and just look at how pretty that orange swirl looks. This mixture is what separates your lasagna from every other boring one out there.
Don’t let the fancy French name scare you off. Melt butter in your biggest pot over medium heat. Dump in the flour and whisk it around for a couple minutes until it smells nutty and amazing. Here’s where people mess up – add that warm milk SLOWLY while whisking like your life depends on it. If you dump it all at once, you’ll get lumpy grossness that’ll make you want to start over.
Keep whisking and cooking until it coats your spoon. Then add all the good stuff – garlic, sage, rosemary, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Stir in that cheese until it melts completely. Last step – add the spinach and watch it disappear into the sauce like magic.
Cook those noodles according to the box but pull them when they’re still got a tiny bite – they’ll finish cooking in the oven. Drain and spread them on clean towels so they don’t stick together and make you curse while assembling.
This is where it gets fun. Grease your 9×13 pan and spread a thin layer of that gorgeous béchamel on the bottom. Lay down 4 noodles, then dollop half that squash mixture on top and spread it around – doesn’t need to be perfect, rustic looks better anyway. Add about a third of your remaining béchamel and half the provolone slices.
Next layer: 4 more noodles, rest of the squash mixture, another third of béchamel, and remaining provolone. Final layer gets the last 4 noodles and whatever béchamel you’ve got left. If you’re doing the prosciutto thing, lay those slices on top like you’re decorating a fancy pizza.
Cover with foil and slide into that 375°F oven for 35 minutes. Take off the foil and bake another 10 minutes until the top looks golden and bubbly and is making your kitchen smell incredible. Now comes the torture part – let it sit for 10 minutes before cutting. I know it’s hard but cutting too early turns your beautiful lasagna into soup.
Notes
Don’t be a hero with cold milk: Keep it warm on the stove while making your flour-butter mixture. Cold milk hitting hot roux = lumpy nightmare that’ll make you want to order pizza instead
Pasta hack that changed my life: Lay cooked noodles between damp paper towels. They stay flexible and won’t stick together like superglue
Cheese slicing genius move: Freeze that provolone for 15 minutes before slicing. Clean cuts, no tearing, pure satisfaction
Squash texture reality check: Stop mashing when it’s creamy but chunky. Nobody wants to eat orange baby food
Assembly sanity tip: Use a big serving spoon to plop the squash mixture, then spread gently. Trying to make it Instagram-perfect will drive you nuts
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/8 of pan)
- Calories: 485
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 680mg
- Fat: 24g
- Saturated Fat: 14g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 22g
- Cholesterol: 65mg