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If you’re craving a cozy fall pasta bake, this one’s all about sweet, caramelized squash, garlicky sautéed kale, and lush florentine-style layers. It’s weeknight-friendly enough to assemble ahead, yet special enough for a casual dinner party.
Expect crisp, golden edges, creamy middles, and hints of sage and nutmeg that make the kitchen smell incredible. Slice, serve, and watch it disappear.
Why You’ll Love This
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Balanced fall flavors: sweet squash + savory greens + creamy cheese.
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Great for gatherings: layers hold well; easy to reheat.
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Scalable and flexible with noodle and dairy choices.
But first, how was everyone’s Halloween weekend? Asher wore the Elsa dress I gave her for her birthday. For once it was a decent Halloween night here (last year there was a blizzard!). The town of Frisco closes off Main Street and all the little trick-or-treaters get to run down the mile long strip (well more like a half a mile, they don’t close off the entire street) from business to business begging for candy. My parents said it was a really nice night and surprisingly, not all that crowded.
Since it’s Monday and the last three days have been a little dramatic around here, I am keeping things semi-short (I will tell you all about it in another post).
So let’s get on to this simple caramelized butternut squash and kale florentine lasagna. You see, when I talk about cheesy pasta and such my mind seems to forget all my worries. It’s the coziness of it all. I freaking love coziness like no other.
Make-Ahead, Storage & Reheat
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Make-ahead: Assemble, cover, and refrigerate. Bring toward room temp before baking to encourage even heating.
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Fridge: Store slices airtight; reheat covered until warmed through, then uncover briefly to re-crisp the top.
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Freezer: Wrap tightly to avoid ice crystals. Thaw in the fridge before reheating so layers don’t weep.
Last year I showed you guys my very favorite Classic Lasagna. It’s my go to dish around the holidays and I honestly make it all the time. My family loves it, really everybody loves it.
This year though, I wanted a lasagna that was heavy on the vegetables. I am such a huge fan of butternut squash and kale, but the combo together sounded perfect for a lasagna and that was that. I was making butternut kale lasagna and I was making it florentine style. Instead of spinach, I substituted Kale and of course, went heavy on the cheese.
I actually made my homemade pasta and I made it using whole wheat flour, and you know what, it was awesome!! Seriously, no one even noticed the difference and the whole wheat pasta fits really well with the earthy flavors of the kale.
I wanted this squash and kale florentine lasagna to be simple, so I am telling you guys that if you want to, you can use no-boil whole wheat lasagna (use DeLallo, it’s the best!). But if you can, make homemade lasagna noodles. It really does not take much time and the little extra effort is so worth it. The noodles melt in your mouth. Melt. In. Your. Mouth.
I used the this recipe, but subbed all white whole wheat flour for the all-purpose flour. Worked like a charm.
And the rest is simple. I caramelized a lot of butternut squash with a little garlic, nutmeg, sage and thyme. It’s such a good combo and I love the texture you get from caramelizing the squash. I think it is so good. Then I tossed in the kale to cook it down a little and that’s pretty much it.
You just need to make your béchamel sauce and then layer everything together. Pretty simple and it’s great for entertaining because like I said you can prep everything in advance and then just bake before eating.
FAQ:
Can I use no-boil noodles?
Yes—just make sure each layer has enough sauce/moisture so the sheets fully hydrate. Look for soft, sliceable layers and bubbling edges.
How do I tell the squash is properly caramelized before layering?
Edges should be deep golden with a lightly sticky sheen, and a fork should slide in without the pieces falling apart.
Will spinach work instead of kale?
Totally. Sauté and drain well so the lasagna isn’t watery; the texture will be softer and the flavor a bit milder.
How do I prevent a soggy lasagna?
Cook down watery components (greens, sauce) and avoid over-saucing the middle layers. Rest the baked lasagna before slicing so it sets.
Simple Caramelized Butternut Squash and Kale Florentine Lasagna.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 cups cubed medium butternut squash (about 1 medium)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt + 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, plus a pinch more for the béchamel
- 6 leaves fresh sage, chopped + more for topping
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 large bunch kale, roughly chopped
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 1/2 cups warm milk, I use 2%
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated, plus more for serving
- 4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (or use cream cheese or mozzarella)
- 8 ounces fontina cheese, shredded
- 1 pound no boil whole wheat lasagna noodles
- Toasted pumpkin seeds + salt, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. and grease a 9x13 inch baking dish - if baking the lasagna right away.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil. Add the butternut squash and sprinkle with brown sugar and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat stirring frequently to avoid burning for 10 to 15 minutes or until the squash begins to caramelize all over. Add the garlic, nutmeg sage and thyme, cook 5 or so minutes more.
- Now remove the skillet from the heat and add the kale, cover and let sit for 10 minutes. The heat from the pan will cook the kale down.
- Meanwhile, make the béchamel sauce. Melt the butter over medium heat and allow the butter to brown lightly. Once the butter begins to brown, add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Whisk in the warm milk in a steady stream. Add the a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg and simmer for 2 minutes, whisking. Remove from the heat, stir in the blue cheese (or mozzarella) and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming.
- To assemble the lasagna, spoon a little béchamel onto the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Add a layer of lasagna noodles. Sprinkle about 1/3 of the butternut + kale mixture over the noodles. Now add 1/3 of the fontina cheese and drizzle with a little béchamel. Repeat the layering process until you have three to four layers. Once you get to the very top, spread any remaining béchamel over the noodles. Sprinkle with the last of the fontina cheese. Feel free to add more cheese if desired!! Top the lasagna with sage leaves.
- Spray a piece of tin foil with cooking spray and cover the the lasagna. At this point the lasagna can be placed in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen.
- Bake, covered for 35-45 minutes and then uncovered for 15 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. If your lasagna was cold prior to baking, bake covered for 15-30 minutes longer.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Made this a second time for Thanksgiving. The vegetarians enjoyed having this substantial option. This time was better than the first since I was able to locate Fontina cheese. Also increased the milk to 3 cups for extra sauce. Thank you again for posting.
Happy Holidays!
So happy you loved this!! Thanks Kelle and happy belated Thanksgivng! 🙂
I made this following the recipe exactly. Very tasty and will certainly make this again. I think next time I will make extra bechamel and use a little less bleu cheese. Thanks for posting this. We enjoyed this one as a great new way to cook with squash and kale.
Looks amazing! I’m planning to have friends over for dinner tomorrow. Can I assemble tonight, refrigerate overnight, then bake tomorrow evening? (I’m wondering what that will do to the Bechamel…) Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Hey Jen, assembling this ahead of time works great. I do it all the time. You may need to bake it just a tad longer though. Hope you love this!
In the oven! House smells awesome. Teenagers good & hungry Thank you for the recipe:)
Hope you LOVE this! 🙂
Celeste @The Whole Serving
Yummy, I wish I had a plateful in front of me.
Thank you so much! Hope you are enjoying your weekend!
This looks so delicious and warm and comforting. Love it!
Thanks Brenda!
I just made this last night. Sooo good!!! Definitely becoming a favorite, Thank you for sharing!!!!
yea!! I am so excited you made this and loved it! TAHNK YOU! 🙂
You know… I so rarely make lasagna. Mainly, it’s because I always associate it with my mom and home and I feel like it’s best to leave any memories associated with lasagna with her. Maybe that’s weird. I don’t know. Anyway, I’m totally a lasagna lover… I love the crispy bits you get in the corners. Yours looks absolutely lovely… and different… and, well, perfect.
I so know what you mean. Same thing with me and the Thanksgiving turkey. It has always been my moms things and I just can’t take it over. It’s all her!
Thanks Brian!
Hey, Tieghan! I just ran into your blog a short while back and your recipes are so inspiring with your many creative flavor pairings and scrumptious dishes! Your photography also is stunning; I have to say, as one who comes from a large family, how do you manage to make a huge, yummy, enough-to-serve-everyone-a-real-sized-portion lasagna (or any dish!) look *so amazing*??!! My food never looks beautiful (part of the reason I don’t think I could ever do a food blog, though I am a avid, addicted follower of many ;))…it just looks like I slopped it on the plate for my family to eat and hopefully it tastes good! 😛 Yours look delicious and gorgeous! 🙂
Oh my gosh, thank you so much for these kind words!! I am so excited you are enjoying my recipes and photos. This makes my day!! 🙂
I am not sure how I make them look pretty, but it does take a little extra effort I have to say. And trust me, the meals I make that are not going on the blog, look horrible. Haha! Thanks again, Hannah!
This looks INCREDIBLE!!!
Thanks Jenna!
OMG what a damn cozy lasagna! THE BEST!
Thanks Sophia!
This looks like the best vegetarian lasagna, love all that cheesy goodness, of course!
Thank you so much, Laura!! Hope you had a great Monday! 🙂
Such a healthy and savory meal! Definitely a new take on the classic lasagna that I will have to try soon!
Thank you so much, Jen!1
I haven’t had many pregnancy cravings but I think I’m having one right now. I am so craving this lasagna!!!!
Oh yeah!! I help spur on you first craving!! hah! 🙁
Thanks so much! Hope you had a great start to your week!
I agree with you about comfort food. It’s probably why my pants are always a little too tight, haha. 🙂
Haha! Thank you so much! Hope you had a great Monday!