Easy Butternut Squash Lasagna with just a handful of basic ingredients! Straightforward to prepare and naturally gluten-free, this healthy lasagna recipe might just be the simplest lasagna you’ll ever make!
We all love a cozy classic lasagna, but have you ever tried it with butternut squash instead of noodles? It is all-things comforting yet refreshing, filling, yet energizing, and we pull the whole thing off in a fraction of the time it takes to make regular lasagna.
Plus, would you believe me if I told you the whole thing requires just 4 basic ingredients??
The only reason I don’t make lasagna more frequently is the long ingredients list, length of time, and amount of steps it takes to complete the process.
Well, I have simplified the whole thing by reducing the amount of ingredients (and therefore steps), and keeping the prep simple.
Can you add to your heart’s delight? Absolutely! Simply check out my Recipe Customizations section below for some options.
Ingredients for Butternut Squash Lasagna:
Butternut Squash: Taking the place of lasagna noodles, we need one medium-sized butternut squash that weighs about 2 pounds. We’re using the entire squash!
Ground Beef: Pick up a pound of lean ground beef to make our meat sauce.
Pasta Sauce: Select a jar of your favorite store-bought tomato based pasta sauce. Marinara sauce, garden vegetable tomato sauce, and vodka sauce are all great options. Or, make your own pasta sauce! I went with a 24-ounce jar of seven vegetable tomato sauce.
Mozzarella Cheese: The classic melting cheese we all love so dearly in lasagna! Scale the amount up or down to your personal taste.
Sea Salt and Black Pepper: Season the sauce to your personal taste using salt and pepper. Most store-bought pasta sauces contain enough sodium already, so I skipped the salt.
Recipe Customizations:
- Add in your desired amount of ricotta cheese and/or parmesan cheese for an even cheesier experience.
- Swap the ground beef for ground turkey or ground sausage.
- Double the recipe for a thicker lasagna that feeds more people.
- Sauté one yellow onion in a couple tablespoons of avocado oil or olive oil for 5-8 minutes over medium heat prior to browning the beef if you love a lot of onion in your lasagna recipes.
- Toss 3 cups of fresh spinach into the red sauce for added veggies. Make a creamy sauce by adding 1/2 cup of heavy cream.
- If you want to make a classic lasagna, prep my Gluten-Free Lasagna using either gluten-free lasagna noodles or regular lasagna noodles.
Now that we’ve covered the basic ingredients, let’s make this healthy lasagna recipe!
How to Make Butternut Squash Lasagna:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
Use a vegetable peeler to peel the skin off of your butternut squash. Cut off the tip and tail, then slice it into ¼ to ½ inch rounds, starting at the tip end of the squash.
Once you get to the tail end, you can slice the remainder of the squash in half to scoop out the seeds and insides. Continue slicing the squash into thin U shapes. You’ll be using the whole squash!
Heat a large thick-bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the ground beef.
There is no need to add oil here unless your pan has a tendency to stick. Use a spatula to break the beef into smaller chunks and brown the beef until it is almost fully cooked through.
Add in the pasta sauce and bring the mixture to a full but controlled boil. Reduce the heat if needed and continue cooking the sauce, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Taste the sauce for flavor and add sea salt and black pepper to your personal taste.
Spray a large casserole dish (I use a 13” x 9” casserole dish) with cooking spray. Coat the bottom of the dish with a light layer of sauce.
Place a layer of butternut squash slices on the bottom of the casserole dish in a single layer without any overlapping.
Spread ⅓ of the meat sauce over the sliced butternut squash and spread it evenly. Sprinkle ⅓ of the grated mozzarella cheese over the sauce layer.
Create two additional layers just like this, using the rest of the butternut squash slices and the cheese.
Cover the baking dish in aluminum foil and bake on the center rack of the oven for 50-60 minutes, until the butternut squash is fork tender.
Allow the lasagna to cool for 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve with any side dishes you enjoy, like a side salad, roasted vegetables, or bread and butter.
Storage Options:
- Refrigerator: Wrap the baking dish in plastic wrap or transfer the leftover lasagna to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 7 days.
- Freezer: Freeze lasagna in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
Recipe Tips:
- I use the smaller slices of butternut squash and my mess-up slices for the middle layer so that the bottom layer and the top layer have the most substantial slices for optimal sturdiness.
- If you prefer making recipes in steps, you can make the meat sauce ahead of time.
The next time you’re craving lasagna but want to keep it lighter, whip up this easy butternut squash lasagna recipe!
Whether you’re meal prepping for a busy workweek or whipping up something special for Thanksgiving dinner, this healthy butternut squash lasagna makes a mouth-watering main dish. It is fall comfort food at its finest and is sure to please the whole family.
If you love Italian food, try out some of my other Italian favorites!
More Italian Recipes:
- Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Chicken Marsala
- Rigatoni Pasta with Bolognese Sauce
- Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Baked Ziti
- Mediterranean Pan-Fried Cod
- 30-Minute Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Creamy Chicken Pasta
- Marry Me Salmon
Dive on in!
Butternut Squash Lasagna Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs butternut squash cut into ¼ to ½-inch slices
- 1 pound ground beef
- 25 ounces tomato-based pasta sauce of choice*
- 16 ounces mozzarella cheese or melting cheese of choice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
- Use a vegetable peeler to peel the skin off of your butternut squash. Cut off the tip and tail, then slice it into ¼ to ½ inch rounds, starting at the tip end of the squash. Once you get to the tail end, you can slice the remainder of the squash in half to scoop out the seeds and insides. Continue slicing the squash into thin U shapes. You’ll be using the whole squash!
- Heat a large thick-bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the ground beef. There is no need to add oil here unless your pan has a tendency to stick. Use a spatula to break the beef into smaller chunks and brown the beef until it is almost fully cooked through. Add in the pasta sauce and bring the mixture to a full but controlled boil. Reduce the heat if needed and continue cooking the sauce, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Taste the sauce for flavor and add sea salt and black pepper to your personal taste.
- Spray a large casserole dish (I use a 13” x 9” casserole dish) with cooking spray. Coat the bottom of the pan with a light layer of sauce.
- Place a layer of butternut squash slices on the bottom of the casserole dish in a single layer without any overlapping. Spread ⅓ of the meat sauce over the sliced butternut squash and spread it evenly. Sprinkle ⅓ of the grated mozzarella cheese over the sauce layer.
- Create two additional layers just like this, using the rest of the butternut squash slices and the cheese.
- Cover the baking dish in aluminum foil and bake on the center rack of the oven for 50-60 minutes, until the butternut squash has reached your desired level of tenderness.
- Allow the lasagna to cool for 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve with any side dishes you enjoy, like a side salad, roasted vegetables, or bread and butter.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions:
Does the butternut squash soften during the baking process?
Yes! We slice the butternut squash thin enough and bake it long enough such that it becomes nice and tender. You can play with the bake time based on if you prefer your butternut squash al dente or extra soft.
Is the lasagna watery at the bottom?
Because butternut squash does not absorb as much liquid as noodles and it leaches water during the baking process, there is a little moisture at the bottom of the pan.
You can prevent some of this by cooking the sauce a little longer to reduce the moisture in the sauce. Or, serve the lasagna long after making it, as the sauce gets absorbed into the butternut squash over time as it sits.
