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Wednesday just got a lot more exciting, and it’s all thanks to this Butternut Squash and Sun-Dried Tomato White Lasagna.
It’s about that time of year when lasagna becomes a staple dinner around here. Every November (and December too) it seems I make a lasagna practically every week, or at least every other week. I have two that are in my rotation, and I know each recipe by heart, this classic lasagna (old recipe, but one I love so much) and this crispy prosciutto white lasagna.
The first is an extra meaty and very classic Italian style lasagna. It’s hands down my brother’s favorite, but they love anything extra meaty (typical). I make this classic style lasagna whenever the boys are in town and their friends are over, or for one of the nights when everyone is home for Christmas. It’s always a hit.
The second recipe is a white lasagna that’s a knock off of my Aunt Katie’s recipe she used to make for family parties. I swapped out the chicken and added prosciutto for a salty factor and it is delicious. Depending on how many I need to serve, I often make this in addition to the classic lasagna…for those that maybe don’t love meat quite as much as the boys.
Here’s the thing, I realized when I was planning out this year’s Thanksgiving menu that I really needed a good vegetarian option on the table too. I know turkey is supposed to be the star, but these days there are so many people who appreciate a good veggie friendly recipe.
Enter in this butternut squash lasagna.
It’s no secret that I love butternut squash. I’ve shared a handful of new recipes this season alone, but I think this lasagna is probably my favorite.
There are layers and layers of cheesy, butternut squash goodness, and I’m not sure it gets better when it comes to a white lasagna. Trust me, if you have some vegetarians at this year’s Thanksgiving (or any other party), make this lasagna. It’s sure to win over just about everyone.
The base of the lasagna is made of up of roasted butternut squash and ricotta cheese. I added in sun-dried tomatoes, one, because I love them, and two, because I think they add such a delicious sweet flavor, plus a nice pop of pretty red color too.
What’s great about this recipe is that it’s a dish that can be assembled completely in advance and then baked just before serving. I love making this the day before, keeping it in the fridge, and then just throwing it in the oven before dinner. It makes for easy, stress free entertaining.
Plus, it’s just so good. I mean, when you have four cheeses, roasted squash, sun-dried, tomatoes, and pasta involved…of course it’s going to be good! And even if you don’t need a vegetarian recipe on your Thanksgiving table this year, this dish works equally well dressed up as a fun dinner party main course, or served casually at the family dinner table.
 
I’m sure I will be making this recipe many times over the next couple months. Some of my brothers will be arriving in a week or so (Red and Kai are currently in Italy for some snowboarding, filming, and a Big Air contest in Milan) and with them comes all the friends…meaning big eaters. Now, if only we’d get the snow all those snowboarders need. I’m pretty sure it’s coming though.
Also, this would of course make for a pretty cozy Wednesday night dinner too.
I know it’s a bit more work for your typical weeknight dinner recipe, but some weeks just call for an extra cozy dinner mid-week.
Butternut Squash and Sun-Dried Tomato White Lasagna
Servings: 8 servings
Calories Per Serving: 611 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 4 cups butternut squash, cubed (about 1 medium squash)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- kosher salt and pepper
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
- 1 cup shredded fontina cheese
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 cups whole milk ricotta
- 2 cups shredded provolone
- 1 jar (8 ounce) oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, oil drained and chopped
- 1 box no-boil lasagna noodles
- 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch pan. 2. On a baking sheet, toss together the butternut squash, olive oil, honey, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Transfer to the oven and roast for 25-30 minutes or until the squash is tender. 3. Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan. Add the garlic, sage, and basil and cook 30 seconds or until fragrant. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute. Slowly add the milk. Stir in the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the fontina cheese and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese is fully melted and the sauce is smooth. Set the cheese sauce aside.4. In a medium bowl, mash the roasted butternut squash until mostly smooth. Stir in the ricotta, provolone, and sun-dried tomatoes.5. Spread 1/4 of the cheese sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Top with 3-4 lasagna sheets. Spread with 1/2 the butternut squash mixture and then another 1/4 of the cheese sauce. Place another 3-4 lasagna noodles on top, and then top with the remaining butternut squash mixture and another 1/4 of the cheese sauce. Add the remaining lasagna noodles and pour the remaining 1/4 of the cheese sauce over top. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until the top has bubbled up and browned a bit. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Top with pine nuts and fried sage.
Plus, lasagna is always a good idea…always.
Hello!
It will be my 2nd time cooking this amazing lasagne (my now one and only!) so I made a second one. Wondering/hoping I can freeze it. 1- Can it be frozen? Should I bake it before freezing it? (I would then only have to add the pine nuts and fried sage, of course.) 3- If freezing is possible, should I thaw it before cooking it or …?
Thank you!
Nadine
Hi there! Yes, you can freeze it! I would recommend freezing it after assembling and not baking it, and then when you’re ready to bake just cover with foil and follow a similar bake time as the recipe calls for! xT
Planning to make this Friday evening for a dinner party. Thinking of adding some browned sausage to the layers. Have you ever tried this and how do you think it would turn out?
Hi there! This would be delish with sausage! xT
Made this last night for supper and it was outstanding! Enthusiastic thumbs up from all five in my family! I made a couple of changes:
1. Used regular, not no-boil noodles. I dribbled a couple of tbsp of water over each noodle layer and that worked great.
2. I added about a cup of milk to the squash/ricotta mixture. It made it easier to spread and also counterbalanced my use of regular noodles.
I will make this again!
Thank you so so much for trying out the recipe! I really hope you loved it! 🙂
what size baking dish do you recommend for laying the ingredients before baking? 🙂
Hi Kaitlin,
Do you mean in step 2? Just a regular sized baking sheet, a half sheet pan is what I used! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
When you layer the noodles in the baking dish, what size do you use?
The recipe calls for a 9×13 baking dish:)
I am hoping to make for Christmas eve! Would you adjust the recipe at all if using regular lasagna noodles and not the no-boil kind? I know sometimes the no boil ones need more liquid and was worried it would be soupy if i pre-boil. Thank you!
Hi Meredith,
You should be just fine to follow the recipe as written but you will want to cook your noodles to al dente before layering the lasagna. I hope this turns out well for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
I hope so too! Looks amazing… thanks!
Let me know how the recipe turns out, Tina!!
Few questions, please answer all because I’m hoping to make this for a xmas dinner on Wednesday!
1. Anyway to make this a little lighter? It’s a bit too rich… I know the tomatoes would cut the richness but I won’t be using them, so can I not use as much provolone cheese? Can I use 2% milk?
2. If I make ahead, should I let it come to room temperature before I cook? I feel like if it goes in cold, the cooking time would change, no?
Thank you!
Hi Tina,
Sure, you can use as much or as little cheese as you like and low-fat milk. You can put it into the oven cold, that will be just fine! I hope you love the recipe! xx
I hope so too! Looks amazing… thanks!
What is the easiest way to cut &cub fresh butternut squash for cooking ?
Hi Joyce,
I typically just cut off the skin and then cube from there:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe! xx
I find that if I roast the whole squash for about 15 min at 375, I can easily cut, slice and peel the squash. I have also used frozen cubed squash for this recipe and it worked well.
The Instructions do not tell how to do the fried sage that goes in top of the lasagna after it comes out of the oven. How do you fry the sage?
Hi Cristee,
You just fry the sage in oil on a pan:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe! xx
Do you cook the noodles prior to layering or layer dry lasagna sheets ? Thank you.
Hi Maura,
Since you are using no boil lasagna sheets, you will not need to cook them first. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan