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Butternut Squash, Mushroom & Spinach Lasagna Recipe

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★★★★★

4.6 from 109 reviews

This Butternut Squash, Mushroom & Spinach Lasagna offers a creamy, vegetable-packed twist on a classic Italian comfort dish. Featuring a smooth cauliflower cream sauce, roasted butternut squash, sautéed mushrooms, and fresh spinach, layered with ricotta and no-boil lasagna noodles, it’s a wholesome, flavorful meal perfect for a hearty dinner.

Ingredients

Scale

Cream Sauce

  • 1 pound frozen cauliflower florets
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese (plain)
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Vegetable Filling

  • 1–2 tablespoons olive oil (extra virgin)
  • 1 ½ pounds (about 5 cups cubed) butternut squash (peeled, seeded, cubed)
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon oregano
  • 1 ½ teaspoon salt (divided)
  • 4 cups fresh spinach
  • 4–6 cloves fresh garlic (crushed)
  • 1 small onion (diced)
  • 1 ½ pounds baby bella mushrooms (sliced)

Ricotta Filling

  • 1 pound part skim ricotta cheese
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon garlic (minced)
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

Assembly

  • 12–16 ounces no-boil lasagna noodles
  • 3 cups low-moisture, part skim mozzarella cheese (shredded)
  • ½ cup asiago cheese (grated)
  • 6–8 leaves fried sage (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 425°F to prepare for roasting the butternut squash and baking the dish.
  2. Prepare Cream Sauce: In a large pot, combine the frozen cauliflower florets and almond milk, cover, and bring to medium-high heat. Cook for 12-15 minutes until the cauliflower is very soft and mushy.
  3. Blend Cream Sauce: Stir in the reduced fat cream cheese, salt, pepper, and dijon mustard until the cream cheese melts. Use an immersion blender to blend the mixture until smooth and creamy. Adjust consistency with almond milk if too thick. Stir in nutmeg, then remove from heat and set aside.
  4. Roast Butternut Squash: Drizzle olive oil on a large baking sheet, add the cubed butternut squash, and season with garlic powder, smoked paprika, black pepper, oregano, and 1 teaspoon salt. Toss to coat evenly.
  5. Roast Until Tender: Roast the squash in the oven for 15 minutes, then remove, toss the squash cubes gently, and continue roasting for another 13 minutes until soft and slightly crispy.
  6. Add Spinach: Remove the baking sheet, gently smash the roasted squash with a potato masher, top with fresh spinach, and return to the oven for 2-3 minutes until the spinach wilts.
  7. Sauté Mushrooms and Onions: Heat a little olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add crushed garlic and diced onion, cooking 4-5 minutes until translucent. Add sliced baby bella mushrooms and cook 3-5 minutes until they start to brown. Remove from heat, season with ½ teaspoon salt.
  8. Combine Vegetables: Add the sautéed mushrooms and onions to the smashed butternut squash and spinach mixture. Toss gently to combine all vegetable fillings.
  9. Prepare Ricotta Mixture: In a large bowl, whisk the egg with ricotta cheese, minced garlic, nutmeg, salt, and black pepper until well combined. Refrigerate until assembly time.
  10. Lower Oven Temperature: Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F for baking the lasagna.
  11. Grease Baking Dish: Lightly grease a 13 x 9” casserole dish with a 2½-3” depth to prevent sticking.
  12. Assemble Lasagna – First Layer: Spread about one-third of the cauliflower cream sauce evenly on the bottom of the dish. Layer one-third of the no-boil lasagna noodles over the sauce, breaking pieces if necessary to cover the entire base. Spread half of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, then half of the vegetable filling. Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella cheese on top.
  13. Assemble Lasagna – Second Layer: Repeat layering with another one-third of the noodles, the remaining ricotta mixture, the remaining vegetable filling, and another cup of mozzarella cheese.
  14. Top Layer: Place the remaining noodles on top. Spread the remaining cauliflower cream sauce over the noodles and finish with the last cup of mozzarella cheese. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil.
  15. Bake Covered: Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, covered with foil.
  16. Bake Uncovered: Remove the foil and sprinkle the grated asiago cheese on top. Bake an additional 15-20 minutes uncovered. For a golden top, broil for the last 2 minutes if desired.
  17. Serve: Garnish with fresh parsley or optional fried sage leaves, sprinkle crushed red pepper flakes and freshly cracked black pepper, and serve hot.

Notes

  • Use no-boil lasagna noodles for easier assembly and less prep time.
  • Frying sage leaves adds a delightful aromatic garnish, but it’s optional.
  • The cauliflower cream sauce provides a low-carb, creamy alternative to traditional béchamel.
  • Adjust seasoning in the cream sauce and ricotta mixture according to taste.
  • For a nuttier flavor, try adding a pinch of smoked paprika to the ricotta filling.
  • Leftovers keep well refrigerated for up to 3 days and freeze well for up to 2 months.

Keywords: butternut squash lasagna, vegetarian lasagna, mushroom lasagna, spinach lasagna, cauliflower cream sauce, healthy lasagna, no boil noodles

Find it online: https://thefoodrecipe.com/butternut-squash-mushroom-and-spinach-lasagna-recipe/