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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.
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 really enjoyed this recipe! It was very rich and had a lot of flavor. I just wish there was a smidge more prosciutto, it added such a nice salty contrast.
Thank you amanda! xTieghan
I am splitting this into two 9” pans and freezing one. How long do I bake for a smaller pan?
Hey Theresa,
You can follow the instructions as is. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This looks amazing. Planning to make it next week for a dinner date. What would you serve it with? For this meal, I’ll be serving white wine poached pears for dessert. Thank you!
Hey Tiffany,
I would serve with this salad: https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/apple-and-kale-salad/
I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Do you add the ricotta to the butternut squash mash when it is hot or do you let it cool first and then add the cheese?
Hey Elizabeth,
You can add while it is still warm. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This lasagna is delicious! I added prosciutto to each inner layer as well as on top because, well, why not. I was dubious about adding stock to the cheese sauce but it thickened up really nicely and the pasta came out perfect cooked. I also added back the rosemary and sage (tied in a bouquet) to the sauce for the last stages of cooking as I really wanted to infuse it with the herb flavour. Finally, I made my own pasta because apparently I cannot do anything by half. What a delicious meal! I reckon I’ll get about 8 servings out of it.
Hi Alex! Wow that sounds like an amazing dinner! I am really glad this turned out so well for you, thank you for trying it!! xTieghan
Hi! I’m going to make this recipe for thanksgiving, but I normally make my pasta noodles fresh—would fresh lasagna sheets work well with this still? Or would you recommend only using hard lasagna noodles?
Thank you!
Hey Rae,
Homemade noodles are totally fine to use! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
i made this for sunday dinner with my roommates the other day and everyone raved! my roomies are vegetarians so i made it without the prosciutto and we totally didn’t miss it! so flavorful and such a great meal to make for a group dinner: i made the lasagna the night before and just popped it in the oven while we ate appetizers. 10/10 recommend!
I am so happy this turned out so well for you, Isabel!! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Why is it so green?! I put the spinach in the béchamel sauce like it showed in the video because in the recipe it doesn’t mention the spinach at all… was I supposed to do this lol?
Hi Melissa,
I am not sure what you mean by it being so green? Adding the spinach to the béchamel sauce is correct as stated in step 3. So sorry you were not pleased with the color. Please let me know how I can help! xTieghan
I have made this recipe as directed multiple times and it has turned out perfectly! Thank you! I am preparing two pans for a family that must travel and have frozen them according to your direction. As I have not yet tried it this way, I am wondering if I should instruct them to completely thaw the lasagna before baking (and still bake for an hour covered and 40 min uncovered) or if the lasagna could be cooked directly from frozen?
Hey Christine!
I am so glad you have been loving this recipe! I would have the bake the lasagna from frozen. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Sorry, forgot to give the star rating!
Love everything about this lasagna. Funny to watch the expressions on the faces of the non-believers who questioned my Mother’s Day Dinner plan as they first smelled the wonderful aromas coming out of my kitchen and then took their first bite!
Amazing!! I hope you had an amazing Mother’s Day, Rosanne! xTieghan
How many oz of lasagna noodles did you use? My box is 8 oz but wondering if yours was 8 or 16 oz? Thanks!
Hi Mandy,
You should be good with the 8 ounce box! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi! I have regular lasagna noodles. Can I cook those and use those in place of the no boil noodles?
Hi Bree,
Yes you can do this with your noodles! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
HI I’m preparing to make this lasagna but I like to make my own noodles. Is there anything I need to do different?
HI! You will not need to do anything different. Homemade noodles will be great. follow the recipe as directed. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
This is my second time making this lasagna in the last month I love it so much. I also made your pesto lasagna because I had a lot of people coming over-including men who don’t eat veggies! Both were huge hits but I overestimated how much everyone would eat. Can I freeze the leftover portion even after I’ve baked it?
Hey Kelly! Yes! I freeze baked lasagna all the time. Works great!! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan