Creamy butternut squash and spinach lasagna

Comfort food at its best. This easy, and make ahead lasagna consists of layers of roasted butternut squash, caramelized onions and spinach in a creamy bechamel sauce.

To veganise it, replace with plant based milk and plant based cheese or alternatively with your favourite cashew based white sauce.

Recipe

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Creamy butternut squash and spinach lasagna

Vegetarian lasagna with layers of caramelised onions, spinach, and roasted butternut squash baked in a traditional creamy bechamel sauce.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: lasagna, vegetarian

Servings: 4

Ingredients

Onion and spinach layer

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium onions, finely sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp sugar
• 142 grams (5 oz package) fresh spinach
• 1 pinch salt

Bechamel layer

• 4 Tbsp butter
• 4 Tbsp flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 pinch (~1/4 tsp) nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp (cayenne
• 1 pinch salt

Butternut squash layer

• 1/2 medium butternut squash, sliced in even, thin layers
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper

To assemble

• 6 no-boil lasagna sheets (or to fit pan size)
• 1.5 cups grated cheese

Instructions

• To make the onions, in a frying pan over low heat, add olive oil, onions, sugar and salt. Cook slowly and stir regularly until caramelized and soft, about 10 minutes. Turn up heat to medium and add in garlic and spinach. Spinach will cook down significantly. Cook for about 2 minutes until spinach is cooked. Set aside to cool.
• To make the bechamel, in a medium saucepan over med-low heat, melt butter and flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste cooks and bubbles a bit, but don't let it brown — about 2 minutes. Add the milk, stirring as the sauce thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste, nutmeg and cayenne. Lower heat, and cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove and set aside to cool.
• For the butternut squash, place the slices on a paper or silpat lined baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook at 350/180 degrees until cooked through and lightly browned on the edges, about 20 min.
• To assemble, alternate layers of bechamel, pasta, spinach, squash and cheese. For the last layers, end with a layer of pasta, bechamel and cheese.
• Cook for 20-25 minutes at 350/180 until bubbly and brown on the top. If this happens too early, then cover the top with foil to prevent it from getting burnt.
• Let cool for 20-30 minutes to ensure completely set before cutting.