This Butternut squash lasagna recipe is the perfect dish to make for a Sunday lunch with your loved ones. Furthermore, this meatless lasagna is excellent if you have vegetarian guests coming over for dinner. It has butternut squash, mushrooms, béchamel sauce, pasta lasagna sheet, and Taleggio cheese. What else do you need from a veggie lasagna?
Why you'll love this recipe
- A meatless dish
- A great make-ahead recipe
- Feed a large crowd
- A Perfect dish for Holydays and festive days
I have been making this recipe for years, every time I serve it to my guests it's a total winner and I never end up having leftovers. Which doesn't make my husband very happy though! (haha)
This butternut squash lasagna recipe is a lifesaver as can be made in advance the day before, stored in the fridge and the next day you will only need to turn the oven on and cook it. This means more time to spend on yourself or enjoying your guests, isn't it great?
If you want to make this recipe even more luxurious why not try to make your lasagna pasta sheet, instead to use the one from the store. It will give a different texture to the lasagna and it'll taste more appetizing as the typical Italian grandmothers used to make it. To finish, serve this mouthwatering Pumpkin cake with salted caramel frosting as dessert, pure heaven.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
This veggie lasagna is a true tribute to the autumn flavors: the sweetness of the butternut squash, the earthy mushrooms, and the tanginess of the cheese make this dish so scrumptious. Bite after bite.
Butternut squash- are roasted in the oven with olive oil, salt, ground black pepper, garlic, and fresh sage until are soft. The sage in my opinion balances the sweetness of the butternut squash and gives a bold flavor to it.
Mushrooms- used are Oyster, Maitake, and Shiitake mushrooms. Pan-fried with garlic, olive oil, salt, ground black pepper, garlic, and thyme.
Cheese- are used two kinds of cheese: mozzarella, and Taleggio cheese. They give a rich taste to the dish.
Pasta sheet lasagna- use fresh pasta lasagna sheets for better taste.
Béchamel sauce - made from melted butter, Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese, flour, nutmeg, and milk. All cooked until soft and silky texture. It is the essential element to achieve a great Lasagna.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTION*
*Note: this is just a quick introduction. Please read the recipe card for the full instructions.
Even if it seems super full of steps this meatless lasagna is super simple to make and it's definitely true Fall comfort food. You will learn how to make the perfect béchamel sauce, one of the mother sauces, to use for various recipes.
Prepare the vegetables
- Peel and cut the butternut squash into slices 1 cm thick. Toss the butternut squash with olive oil, garlic, ground black pepper, salt, and fresh sage leaves and spread evenly the slices on a baking tray previously covered with baking paper. Roast for 50 minutes until tender at fan 180°C; convection oven 200°C; 400°F; 6 gas mark. Once ready set aside.
2. Wash and cut in equal parts the mushrooms. In a medium frying pan on medium heat, saute the garlic with olive oil, mushrooms, ground black pepper, salt, and a few leaves of thyme. Deglaze with the wine the mushrooms and let the alcohol evaporate. Once ready set them aside.
Make the béchamel sauce
- In a medium-tall saucepan, melt the butter on low heat. Once melted add the nutmeg powder, and the Parmigiano Reggiano, and cook for a few seconds.
2. Add the flour all at once, and let it cook for a few seconds until it will have a golden color*.
*Tip: stir the compost with a wooden spoon while is cooking. The process to cook butter and flour is called Roux.
3. Pour the milk all in once in the saucepan at low heat and whisk until the sauce is starting to think up. Set aside*.
*Tip: cover the béchamel sauce, while is still hot, with some baking paper making sure it touches the sauce in order to avoid the development of a film layer, which once mixed would cause lumps on the sauce.
Layer up the lasagna and bake
- In an oven dish, layer up the lasagna. Start by spreading a generous layer of béchamel sauce. Then place the pasta sheets and another layer of béchamel sauce. Next, add the butternut squash and the mushrooms, place the mozzarella slices and the taleggio cheese on top. Keep building your lasagna until you have 4 layers. Cook* the veggie lasagna for 40 minutes at fan 180°C; convection oven 200°C; 400°F; 6 gas mark.
*Tip: To achieve a beautiful crusty and even cooked surface move the lasagna in the oven every now and then.
VARIATION/SUGGESTIONS
Mushrooms: feel free to use any kind of mushrooms you find in the store.
Pasta: alternatively to the fresh pasta sheets use the dried once, bear in mind to read the cooking suggestion instructions in the package. Not every pasta sheet can be used raw. Moreover, you could use some Conchiglioni pasta, simply mix them with the rest of the ingredients and let them cook for 30 minutes at fan 180°C. Rember to precook them before adding them to the other ingredients.
Cheese: swap out the taleggio cheese with some gorgonzola cheese, or Ricotta cheese, or even with some smokey scamorza cheese. You will love the bold flavor of these cheeses, each of them delivering different flavors.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How to store the leftover from the meatless lasagna?
Store the leftover in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Additionally, you can freeze them.
How to freezer the leftover from the veggie lasagna?
I suggest you store each lasagna individually. To do so, cut the lasagna in squares and store them individually in airtight containers for up to 2 months. Defrost them in the fridge the day before, then bake for 30 minutes at fan 180°C; convection oven 200°C; 400°F; 6 gas mark. Alternatively, you can cook frozen lasagna straight away from the freezer but it will take about 70 minutes or more.
Can I use the pumpkin instead of Butternut squash in the butternut squash lasagna recipe?
Yes, of course. You can use all kinds of pumpkins you prefer. Make sure to peel them and cook them the same way as the recipe says.
📖 Recipe
Butternut squash lasagna recipe
Equipment
- Baking paper
- Chopping board
- Knife
- Medium oven tray
- Frying pan
- Medium tall saucepan
- Wooden spoon
- Balloon whisk
- Oven dish 31x23x5.5 cm
Ingredients
Butternut squash
- 950 gr Butternut squash
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 9 gr sage leaves
- 2½ tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
Mushrooms
- 2½ tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 bunch of thyme
- 640 gr Mixed mushrooms Oyster, Maitake, and Shiitake mushrooms
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 50 ml white wine dry
Béchamel sauce
- 150 gr butter unsalted
- 40 gr Parmigiano Reggiano grated
- 1 tsp nutmeg powder
- 120 gr plain flour
- 624 gr whole milk cold
Lasagna pasta
- 510 gr fresh pasta lasagna sheet n° 10 sheets
- 320 gr taleggio cheese
- 450 gr mozzarella cheese n° 3
Instructions
Preheat the oven
- Preheat the oven at 180°C; convection oven at 200°C; 400°F; 6 gas mark.
Veggies
- Peel and cut the butternut squash into slices 1 cm thick. Toss the butternut squash with olive oil, garlic, ground black pepper, salt, and fresh sage leaves and spread evenly the slices on a baking tray previously covered with baking paper.
- Roast for 50 minutes until tender. Once ready set it aside. Don't turn the oven off, we'll need it to cook the lasagna.
- Wash and cut in equal parts the mushrooms. In a medium frying pan, on medium heat, saute the garlic with olive oil, mushrooms, a few leaves of thyme, salt, and ground black pepper for 17 minutes.
- Deglaze the mushrooms with the wine and let them cook for further 9 minutes, set them aside once the alcohol is completely evaporated.
Béchamel sauce
- In a medium-tall saucepan, melt the butter on low heat. Once it is completely melted, add the nutmeg powder and the Parmigiano Reggiano, cook, and stir regularly for a few seconds. with a wooden spoon.
- Add the flour all at once, and let it cook for a few seconds at low heat. Stir the compost with a wooden spoon while it is cooking until it will have a golden color.
- Pour the milk all at once in the saucepan at low heat and whisk until the sauce is starting to think up. Set aside.
- Cover the béchamel while is still hot with some baking paper, making sure it touches the sauce, in order to avoid the development of a film layer, which once mixed would cause lumps on the sauce.
Assembling the lasagna
- In an oven dish, layer up the lasagna. Start by spreading a generous layer of béchamel sauce. Then place the pasta sheets and another layer of béchamel sauce. Next, add the butternut squash and the mushrooms, place the mozzarella slices and the taleggio cheese on top. Keep building your lasagna until you have 4 layers.
Cook
- Cook the veggie lasagna for 40 minutes at fan 180°C; convection oven 200°C; 400°F; 6 gas mark. To achieve a beautiful crusty and even cooked surface move the lasagna in the oven every now and then.
Notes
TRIED THIS RECIPE?
Follow me on Instagram and tag me or mention me on your posts or your stories. I will happy to see your beautiful creations. I will see you on Instagram and on Pinterest too!
Bianca says
Made this for the family and it was so good! Might be our new favorite lasagna recipe
Federica says
Hello Bianca! I am so glad that you and your family like it! Thank you for your comment!