Next Post
5 Ingredient Cranberry Brie Cinnamon Puff Pastry Swirls.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
This Roasted Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna is the perfect baked pasta for cozy November and December nights with family and friends. Beautiful layers of seasonal butternut squash, creamy buttery béchamel sauce, spinach, and lasagna noodles, all come together in this vegetable-focused lasagna. It’s vibrant, creamy, a little cheesy, and so delicious! Top the lasagna with salty prosciutto before baking for a warming dinner that’s mouth-wateringly delicious. This is a great, make-ahead lasagna for Friendsgiving, Thanksgiving, and all the upcoming holiday dinner parties.
This post is sponsored by Vermont Creamy.Â
My favorite recipes this time of year are the ones that are simple to prepare, feed a big crowd, and can be made ahead of time. With Thanksgiving so close, and Friendsgiving happening all month long, recipes like this lasagna are perfect to have in your back pocket for gatherings with family and friends.
I know that this coming weekend is the big weekend for Friendsgiving here in the US. So with that in mind, I’m sharing not only this delicious (almost vegetarian) lasagna, but all my best tips and tricks for hosting!
It’s probably no secret…because I’ve said this a million times over, but lasagna is my go-to dish for entertaining. Every year I love to come up with a new recipe to share. This butternut squash lasagna is my personal favorite. Sure I really love a classic lasagna, but my true favorites sway more towards anything with butternut squash. Add a buttercream sauce and you’ve sealed the deal.
Start off with the squash. It’s simply roasted, then mashed, and stirred together with creamy ricotta cheese. I like to use a lot of squash to get a really great flavor and color.
While the squash is roasting, make the béchamel sauce. As always, I used my Aunt Katie’s base recipe for this sauce, as I’ve yet to create a better version. It’s a delicious mix of garlic, sage, rosemary, spinach, and buttery gouda cheese.
But her real secret to a great béchamel? A generous amount of butter…the key to everything this time of year. I used Vermont Creamery Cultured Butter for especially delicious flavor, richness, and creaminess. Using high-quality ingredients are so important to me. I love knowing that they use only two simple ingredients: cream and cultures (and sea salt if you’re using the salted butter).
Unlike traditional butter, Vermont Creamery’s Cultured Butter is fermented for 20 hours then churned to 82% butterfat. This provides the butter with an incredibly rich taste and creamy texture. It has a delightful tang and notes of buttermilk and hazelnut, which pair so nicely with the warming herbs and spices I’ve used throughout this recipe.
Once the squash has been roasted and the sauce made, simply layer everything together with easy, no-boil lasagna noodles.
Now, this next ingredient is optional, but one I really do love. Prosciutto. I like to add a little salty prosciutto to the top of the lasagna before baking. As the dish bakes, the prosciutto crisps and adds a really nice salty flavor.
Of course, if you’re vegetarian you can easily omit this!
I really can’t begin to describe just how delicious this roasted butternut squash and spinach lasagna is. Something about these flavors all layered together and baked is just beyond GOOD. The squash has an amazing caramelized flavor from slow roasting. And the sauce is incredibly rich and creamy and brightens up with the addition of spinach. When everything is put together, you get a rich, creamy, and super cheesy pasta. Every last bite is DELICIOUS!
tip one: start with a cooking schedule. This is KEY. I spoke about this in more detail last year, but I have to note this tip again. Once you have your menu set, plan out when each dish needs to be going into the oven, and when it’s coming out. Writing out a game-plan is the most helpful tool for creating a laid back, stress-free night, full of delicious food.
tip two: assign guests dishes to bring to your dinner. Trust me, there’s no reason you need to be making ALL the food. Make your favorite recipes, and have friends and family bring everything else. Just be sure you assign everyone what they need to bring. That way you won’t end up with multiple sweet potato casseroles.
tip three: make/prepare as many recipes as you can ahead of time. Don’t plan any recipes that require you to hover over the stove all night long. It’s best to work with recipes you can assemble in advance, like this lasagna!
tip five: set the table the night before. I can’t stress this one enough. If you want a nicely set table, set it the night before…or even the week before. My grandma taught me this tip and it’s the only way I can guarantee a beautifully set table. If I try to do it the day of I always run out of time.
Hoping this helps you all create an amazing night with family and friends!
PS. if you’re looking for a great salad to go along with this hearty pasta, I highly recommend this. It’s always a crowd favorite.
If you make this roasted butternut squash and spinach lasagna, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
{This post is sponsored by Vermont Creamy.  Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Half Baked Harvest cooking!}
I just made this last night and it’s honestly one of the best lasagnas I have ever made. Next time I would do extra crispy sage because both my husband and I LOVED it so much! Tieghan you continue to amaze me with your recipes, and this one does NOT disappoint. I made one little mini one to freeze for later because I had a smaller pan and extra fillings, and we are already looking forward to eating it!
Wow that is so amazing! I am so glad this turned out so well for you Candice! Thank you! xTieghan
As expected, this was such a tasty and easy recipe! I made a half recipe, which worked out pretty well, but next time I’ll probably just make the whole recipe and freeze half. A couple things I did want to note in case they are helpful for someone else:
1. The recipe has you add salt and pepper at almost every step. When I was doing it, I was worried I would over season the lasagna. Turns out, I should not have been concerned about that. I think the butternut squash soaks up a lot of the salt, so I ended up needing a good deal more salt when serving. Lesson: don’t be stingy with your salt.
2. In making a half recipe, one medium sized butternut squash yielded almost exactly three cups of cooked cubed butternut squash. The whole recipe calls for about six cubs of cubed butternut squash, which was probably intended to be measured before cooking. I probably had about 4 cups of uncooked butternut squash. Still, I did not think my half recipe had too much butternut squash, so whenever I make a whole recipe, I anticipate needing more than one medium-sized butternut squash (maybe one really big one or two small ones).
3. The prosciutto looked so pretty on top the way the recipe has it, but it did result in some slices not getting a lot or any prosciutto. I recommend being very strategic with placing the prosciutto (i.e., make sure you put a piece on where you expect each slice of lasagna to be) or you might even try chopping up the prosciutto and distributing it evenly across the top.
Thanks for another wonderful recipe, Tieghan!
Thank you so much Emily! I am really glad this recipe turned out wonderfully for you! I hope you continue to enjoy others of mine! xTieghan
Loved this Lasagna.
Did not get Butternut, so I used Hokkaiado and Scamorza instead of Provolone.
Maybe next time I would leave some pumpkin chunks.
But nevertheless: perfect meal for cold days
Yes! So happy to hear this turned out so well for you Frank! Thank you for trying! xTieghan
I made this butternut squash lasagna and it was absolutely delicious!! I will definitely make it again! I made it just as the recipe said. The roasted squash, mashed with the ricotta was perfect! The sauce- omg- with the Gouda, the sage, rosemary, garlic and nutmeg- whole milk and low sodium chicken broth- was divine!! 5 stars for sure!! Wish I could add a picture!
Hi Linda! Wow that is so amazing to hear! Thank you for trying this! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan. If using fresh spinach for this lasagna do you steam the spinach first before adding it to the sauce? Thx!
Hi Silvana, no need to steam the fresh spinach, just add it right to the sauce. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
So… Lasagna is life, right? And I love it in all its variations – meat, fish, veggies… I’ve never cooked a lasagna which wasn’t a straight trip to food’s heaven. But THIS recipe, specifically… Oh. My. God. I wish there were words for this, but there are not. It’s so balanced, so light, so soft but yet so tasty… It sort of melts in your mouth, full of flavors. The whole experience is magnificent. My husband wouldn’t even say a word while eating – he was living some sort of another world experience, I guess. 😀 And so was I!
There is not a single recipe of yours that I cook that is not unforgettable. And this one is from out-of-this-world!
THANK YOU!
Wow this is an amazing description haha! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! Thank you! xTieghan
This is a recipe that makes me grateful to be a cook and glad to be alive! I’ve made it with prosciutto and without. Love that it can be vegetarian. Either way it is scrumptious! Creamy, savory layers of flavor that become even more unforgettable after melding for a day or two. Will admit the second time around I added a layer of caramelized Vidalia onions as well as additional spinach and roasted butternut squash. Wow!
That is so amazing to hear! Thank you so much for trying this recipe Elizabeth! xTieghan
Made this today for New Years Day dinner. Halved the recipe since it’s just two of us. It turned out delicious! Happy New Year!
Thank you so much Courtney! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Fantastic recipe – it’s possible I like this one more than the classic version. Recently made for a dinner party. Kept it vegetarian – the prosciutto wasn’t missed. Served with your shaved brussel sprout salad and too many bottles of wine. ?
Thank you so much Junko! xTieghan
I see the instructions to freeze before baking but I’m wondering if it is possible to also freeze after baking?
HI! Yes, you can certainly freeze after baking too. Just wrap the dish well. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan
Made for thanksgiving and it was gone. Delicious!!!
I love to hear that! So glad you all loved this Rebecca! Thank you! xTieghan
Made this last night and was a huge hit! The prosciutto on top was a great addition and really made it look impressive.
Thank you so much Caitlin! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
TBH at this point I’m exclusively consulting your blog for recipes because everything I’ve made a la HBH has been killer, including this lasagna, which was my first major contribution to thanksgiving dinner. So thanks for being my one stop cooking guru and making life way simpler and more delicious ?
Wow that is so sweet to hear! I am so glad you loved this recipe and others of mine! & I hope you continue to! Thank you Lynn! xTieghan
We – two hungry men – had this lasagna for dinner last Sunday night. Even the left-overs, warmed up the next night, were delicious! KEE! PER!
YES! I love to hear that! Thank you so much Eike! xTieghan
Thank you !! I included this recipe on my December Menu Plan Recipe Roundup!! It’s so tasty!
http://saltsugarspice.com/2019/12/01/december-2019-meal-plan/
I am glad you enjoyed it! Thank you! xTieghan