Butternut squash lasagna
A white lasagna layered with sweet sage-scented squash, spinach and a creamy parmesan sauce, the cozy fall centerpiece that makes great leftovers.
- 110 min total
- 55 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 8
- About $2.05 a serving
- 440 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 8 servings.
- 1 lb 8 oz frozen butternut squash, two 12-oz bags
- 2 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 12 lasagna noodles
- ¼ cup butter
- 3 cups milk
- ¾ cup grated parmesan, divided
- 5 oz baby spinach
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp salt, plus 1 tsp
- ¼ cup water
- ½ tsp black pepper, divided
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
Each serving has about 440 calories, 20 g protein, 50 g carbs and 18 g fat, and costs about $2.05 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No milk? Half-and-half works.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
- No baby spinach? Kale or arugula works.
- No shredded mozzarella? Provolone slices work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 375°F. Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon salt, cover and over high heat.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Put the squash and water in a medium , cover, and cook over medium heat 10 to 12 minutes, until soft enough to mash.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Medium heatTimer: 11 min
Mash the squash with the sage, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper until mostly smooth.
Cook the noodles 2 minutes less than the package says, then and lay them flat on a brushed with the oil.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
High heatTimer: 9 min
the butter in a large over medium heat, whisk in the flour, and cook 1 minute, .
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Medium heatTimer: 1 min
Slowly pour in the milk, the whole time, then cook 6 to 8 minutes, whisking often, until it like gravy. Stir in ½ cup parmesan and ½ teaspoon salt.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Medium heatTimer: 7 min
Dolly’s tip: Pour a little milk in first and whisk it smooth before adding the rest. That’s all it takes to stop lumps.Spread ½ cup sauce in a 9x13-inch dish.
Layer 4 noodles, half the squash, half the spinach, ¾ cup mozzarella and ¾ cup sauce.
Dolly’s tip: The raw spinach looks like too much. It wilts down to almost nothing in the oven.Repeat once.
Top with the last 4 noodles, the rest of the sauce, ½ cup mozzarella and ¼ cup parmesan. Cover with foil and 30 minutes.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Timer: 30 min
Uncover and bake 15 minutes more, until bubbling and in spots.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 15 min
Let it 15 minutes before cutting so the layers hold.
Rest. Resting means letting cooked meat sit for a few minutes before you cut it. It keeps cooking gently, and more of the juice stays in the meat instead of running onto the board.
How you’ll know: Loosely covered with foil, it stays hot, and very little juice runs out when you slice it.
Timer: 15 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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