This Butternut Squash Lasagna is the ULTIMATE fall lasagna and probably the best one you’ll ever eat. It’s filled with butternut puree, a mix of cheeses and spinach. We top it with fried sage and hazelnuts. The combination of the flavours here is to DIE for! Plus, it’s a vegetarian dish.
Ingredients
Butternut Squash Puree
You can make you own butternut squash puree from scratch or use store-bought. To make it yourself, you just have to cut the squash lengthwise and remove the seeds. Add olive oil and cook for 45 minutes cut side up.
We recommend doing the puree in advance, so it will be ready when you want to cook the lasagna.
Cheeses
You know it, the cheeses in the lasagna make all the difference! That’s why we combine ricotta, mozzarella and old cheddar.
Spinach
We’re mixing cooked spinach and ricotta for the filling of our lasagna.
Lasagna Pasta
We recommend using regular uncooked pasta.
Roasted Hazelnuts
You want to roast the hazelnuts to remove the skin. You can cook them at the same time as your butternut squash. Simply place on a baking pan at 400 degrees F and cook for 10 minutes, turning halfway. Using a dish cloth, press the hazelnuts firmly. That way, the skin will be removed easily.
How to Fry Sage?
First, we remove the leaves from the rod. Then, in a small pan we heat oil making sure it’s hot before adding the sage. Cook for about 15 seconds and place on a paper towel to remove any oil excess.
Can We Prepare the Lasagna in Advance?
YES! You can prepare the lasagna and keep it in the fridge for up to 24 hours in advance. Since your lasagna will be cold, make sure you cook it for 60 minutes instead of 45 minutes (in this recipe).
How to Freeze Lasagna?
Another thing that we love about this recipe is that the lasagna is freezer-friendly! It can be preserved for up to 3 months. Here’s how:
- Freeze it after baking: let it cool down completely. Keep in an airtight container.
- Freeze before baking: assemble the lasagna but don’t add the fried sage and hazelnuts (do this when you cook it). Double wrap with plastic wrap and foil, and then freeze it. Defrost it and bake according to instructions.
The Best Butternut Squash Lasagna, With Hazelnuts & Sage
8
servings30
minutes1h
1h30
This Butternut Squash Lasagna is the ULTIMATE fall lasagna and probably the best one you’ll ever eat. It’s filled with butternut puree, a mix of cheeses and spinach. We top it with fried sage and hazelnuts. The combination of the flavours here is to DIE for! Plus, it’s a vegetarian dish.
Ingredients
Lasagna pasta : 375g of uncooked lasagna pasta (15 lasagna pasta, 5 layers of 3)
- Butternut squash puree
Squash : Puree of 1 medium butternut squash (approx 5 cups)
Milk : 1 cup (you can also use plant based milk)
Nutmeg : ½ tsp
- Spinach filling
Spinach : 10oz of fresh spinach (1 ½ cooked spinach)
Ricotta : 400g
Old Cheddar : 320g
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Olive oil : 1 tbsp
- Other garnishes
Mozzarella : 320g
Sage : sage leaves (about 10-15)
Olive oil : 2 tbsp
Grilled hazelnuts : ½ cup roughly chopped
Instructions
- Prepare in advance: Butternut squash puree: cut the squash lengthwise and remove the seeds. Add olive oil and cook for 45 minutes cut side up at 400 degrees C.
- Roast the hazelnuts: You can cook them at the same time as your butternut squash. Simply place on a baking pan at 400 degrees C and cook for 10 minutes, turning halfway. Using a dish cloth, press the hazelnuts firmly. That way, the skin will be removed easily.
- Cook the lasagna pasta according to instructions.
- Cook the spinach. In a pan on medium heat, sauté spinach with olive oil and garlic. Cook for about 3–4 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Prepare the squash filling. In a food processor or blender, add squash puree, milk and nutmeg. Blend and season well.
- Prepare the spinach filling. When the spinach is cooled down, mix it with ricotta and cheddar. Season.
- Grease a 13 × 9 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Assemble the lasagna. Add 4 tbsp. of butternut squash filling and spread evenly. Please note that the lasagna will have 5 layers, we will use 3 lasagna pasta per layer (15 in total). Add 3 lasagna pasta, 1/5 of the butternut squash puree and ⅓ of spinach filling. Repeat 3x, so you’ll have 3 layers that way.
- For the 4th and 5th layers, use the leftover butternut squash puree and mozzarella cheese (2 times).
- Cook covered with aluminum foil for 35 minutes and without it for 10–15 minutes.
- While the lasagna cooks, fry the sage leaves. In a small pan, add olive oil and make sure it’s hot before adding the sage. Cook for about 15 seconds and place on a paper towel to remove any excess of oil.
- When the lasagna is ready, garnish with fried sage and hazelnuts. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
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