A creamy butternut squash lasagna layered with ricotta, lentils, and marinara sauce. Creamy, cheesy, and comforting. Perfect for weeknights or family dinners.
Thin slices of butternut squash replace the lasagna noodles, lending a slightly sweet, buttery flavor that pairs beautifully with ricotta, lentils, and marinara sauce. It’s deliciously cheesy and satisfying, a perfect fall and winter dinner recipe.
Why You'll Love This Vegetarian Butternut Squash Lasagna
The thin slices of butternut squash soften in the lasagna, creating layers that hold everything together without becoming mushy. It has just enough sweetness to balance the savory ricotta, the tang of the tomato sauce, and the richness of the melted cheese. Lentils provide extra protein and to this vegetarian recipe.
The Layers of Our Vegetarian Lasagna
- Ricotta filling is seasoned with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and a touch of salt and pepper.
- Lentil layer adds texture and protein, and makes this a surprisingly filling vegetarian meal.
- Butternut squash slices act as the pasta and keep the dish lighter but still comforting.
Tips for a Great Butternut Squash Lasagna
- Use a mandoline to cut thin butternut squash slices, or a sharp chef's knife and a little patience will also do the job. The thinner the squash, the faster it will cook.
- Cover the lasagna when you start cooking it, to let the squash soften without burning the cheese.
- Let the lasagna rest before slicing. It helps everything settle into easier-to-cut layers.
- Place the baking dish on a baking sheet. It will prevent the lasagna from dripping into the oven.
How to Assemble The Lasagna
- Step 1: Spoon marinara sauce onto the bottom of a baking dish
- Step 2: Layer butternut squash slices.
- Step 3: Spread half the ricotta mixture.
- Step 4: Add lentils
- Step 5: Sprinkle with cheese
Other High-Protein Lasagna Recipes You May Like
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Butternut Squash Lasagna
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A creamy butternut squash lasagna layered with ricotta, lentils, and marinara sauce. Creamy, cheesy, and comforting. Perfect for weeknights or family dinners.
Ingredients
For the ricotta filling
- 1 (16-ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese
- ½ cup shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese mix
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For the lentil filling
- 1 (15-ounce) can of lentils, drained and rinsed
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp salt
For the lasagna
- 1 small butternut squash, peeled and sliced thin with a mandoline - See note 1, if you don't have a mandoline
- 1 ½ cups marinara sauce
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF
- In a bowl, mix all the ricotta filling ingredients
- In another bowl, mix all the lentil filling ingredients
- Spread ½ cup of marinara sauce on the bottom of the baking dish and top with a layer of butternut squash slices.
- Add half of the ricotta cheese mixture and spread evenly, and top it with all of the lentil mixture. Sprinkle ½ cup of shredded cheese.
- Spread ½ cup of marinara sauce, and add another layer of butternut squash slices. Add the remaining ricotta cheese mixture, then another layer of butternut squash slices, followed by another ½ cup of marinara and the remaining shredded cheese.
- Cover the baking dish with a crumbled piece of wet parchment paper and close tightly with aluminum foil. This will prevent the cheese from sticking to the foil.
- Bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove parchment and aluminum foil and continue baking uncovered fro 15- 20 minutes or until the butternut squash slices are tender.
- Check the lasagna while baking it uncovered. If the cheese starts to brown too much cover again and continue baking or remove it from the oven and let it rest on the counter until ready to slice.
Notes
- If you don't own a mandoline or prefer not to use it, cut the butternut squash into thin slices using a sharp knife. The thinner the butternut squash slices, the faster they will cook.
- If you don’t mind the butternut being crunchy you can bake the lasagna for only 30 minutes.
- To make ahead assemble lasagna and freeze unbaked. Thaw and bake when ready to serve.
- If you are in a hurry, you can mis the filling ingredients together without layering them. Place ½ cup of marinara sauce at the bottom of the baking dish and save ½ cup of shredded cheese. In a bowl mix ricotta cheese lentils, remaining shredded cheese and remaining marinara sauce. Alternate layers of cut butternut squash and ricotta mixture and top the last layer with shredded cheese.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 50
- Category: Vegetarian main dish
- Method: Oven baked
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (dividend lasagna into 6 portions)
- Calories: 382
- Sugar: 5.9 g
- Sodium: 1036.3 mg
- Fat: 19 g
- Saturated Fat: 10.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 29.7 g
- Fiber: 7.7 g
- Protein: 24.5 g
- Cholesterol: 59.6 mg
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