Description
A delicious and creamy vegetarian lasagna layered with butternut squash puree, spinach filling, and a blend of ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheeses. This comforting dish offers flavorful spices and a rich texture, perfect for a wholesome main course.
Ingredients
Scale
Butternut Squash Filling:
- 2 cups butternut squash puree (about half of squash)
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- ½ cup milk (plus more if needed)
- ¼ teaspoon salt (plus ⅛ teaspoon more as needed)
- 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 (for topping)
- ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat the oven to 375 F to prepare for baking the lasagna.
- Make butternut squash filling: In a food processor, combine 2 cups of butternut squash puree with ricotta cheese, ½ cup milk, salt, and nutmeg. Blend until creamy and smooth, adding more milk if needed to reach desired consistency. Taste and adjust salt as necessary.
- Prepare spinach filling: Mix cooked spinach, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, minced garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Adjust seasoning by tasting and adding more salt and pepper if desired.
- Cook lasagna noodles: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook lasagna noodles according to package instructions. Rinse noodles in cold water and drain well. Trim noodles to fit your baking dish if necessary.
- Grease baking dish: Lightly grease an 11 x 8.5 x 3 inch casserole dish with olive oil spray to prevent sticking.
- Assemble first layer: Spread one third of the butternut squash filling evenly on the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle lightly with mozzarella cheese. Arrange 3 cooked lasagna noodles over the filling without overlapping.
- Add spinach layer: Spread half of the spinach filling over the noodles and sprinkle lightly with mozzarella cheese. Top with another layer of lasagna noodles.
- Second squash layer: Spread another third of the butternut squash mixture over the noodles, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, and cover with another layer of noodles.
- Second spinach layer: Spread the remaining half of the spinach filling over the noodles. Sprinkle lightly with mozzarella cheese and add the final layer of noodles.
- Top with final squash layer and cheeses: Spread the remaining one third of butternut squash filling on top of the noodles. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese and the remaining mozzarella cheese (about ½ cup) on top. Generously sprinkle the top with Italian seasoning, paprika, and basil.
- Bake covered: Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 375 F.
- Bake uncovered: Remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes to brown the cheese and finish cooking.
Notes
- Make it GLUTEN-FREE: Use brown rice gluten-free lasagna noodles or any preferred gluten-free variety and follow recipe instructions as usual.
- Using NO-BOIL LASAGNA NOODLES: Add approximately ½ cup extra milk, water, or vegetable stock to the squash puree for moisture. You may need to bake the lasagna 10 minutes longer to ensure it's fully cooked.
- To make it VEGAN: Substitute vegan Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Make vegan ricotta from tofu and lemon juice as a replacement for regular ricotta.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 400 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg
