Three Cheese Butternut Lasagne

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As soon as the weather cools down, I find myself reaching for butternut squash in just about everything. It’s naturally sweet, so creamy once blended and such a great source of fibre and vitamin A! This Butternut Squash Lasagne is my cosy twist on a classic lasagne, and it’s about to become a family favourite. Instead of a tomato sauce and a white sauce, I’ve used a creamy butternut squash puree and a blended cottage cheese layer. That means no flour, no butter and no heavy cream, but plenty of creamy flavour and a good boost of protein.

Contents:

My family loves this butternut lasagna alongside a salad like my Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad or my Winter Quinoa Salad to make it a proper Sunday feast. If you love butternut squash as much as we do, you might also like my Butternut Squash Sausage Pasta Bake, Brown Butter Miso Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce or the full collection of my 30+ Butternut Squash Recipes.

Everything You Need to Make Butternut Lasagne

This butternut squash lasagna is made with simple, easy to find ingredients. I’ve listed all of the ingredients below along with any notes and possible swaps. You can find the full ingredient quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Butternut squash sauce

• butternut squash – you will need about 1.7kg (3.75 lbs) whole butternut squash, which is about 1.4kg once peeled and deseeded. Cut it into even cubes so it steams evenly. Pumpkin works well too, or a mix of both squashes.
• chicken broth – this gets blended with the steamed squash to make a silky butternut squash puree. Use vegetable broth if you prefer.
• spices – onion powder and garlic powder add a savoury depth to the sauce. You could also add a pinch of nutmeg or cinnamon, plus salt and black pepper to taste.

Filling

• chicken sausages – the sausage meat is squeezed out of the casings and browned. Pork or Italian-style sausages work well, or swap for ground chicken or turkey.
• kale – finely chopped. Baby spinach is a great swap.
• fresh sage – you will need a bunch of fresh sage. It’s layered through the lasagne and on top, and pairs beautifully with butternut squash.

Cheese layer

• cottage cheese – blended with the eggs, this makes a creamy, high protein swap for a traditional white sauce. You can use ricotta cheese instead.
• eggs – the egg helps the cheese layer set as it bakes.

To assemble

• fresh lasagne sheets – I’ve used gluten free lasagne sheets to make this Gluten Free Butternut Lasagne. But you can use regular fresh lasagne sheets. If you can’t find fresh lasagne sheets then swap for dried lasagne sheets. If you’re using dried sheets, check the packet. Some need to be cooked until al dente before layering.
• cheeses – a mix of grated cheddar and mozzarella cheese gives you the best golden, melty topping. You can also add some grated parmesan cheese.

Optional Extras

• chilli oil or red pepper flakes – spice things up by drizzling some chilli oil over the top or adding a pinch of red pepper flakes to the sausage as it browns.
• more veggies – sliced mushrooms or roasted red peppers can be added to the sausage layer.
• roasted butternut squash – for a deeper, caramelised flavour, roast the squash cubes on a baking sheet with a little olive oil instead of steaming them.
• parmesan – sprinkle some finely grated parmesan over the top with the rest of the cheese.

Tips for the Best Butternut Lasagne

This butternut lasagne is much simpler to make than it looks. Here are a few of my top tips and tricks to make sure it turns out perfectly every time. You can find the full instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• Multitask while the squash steams – brown the sausage and blend the cottage cheese while the squash is steaming. It keeps the hands-on time to about 20 minutes.
• Steam the squash until really tender – it should break apart easily with a fork. This gives you the smoothest sauce once it goes into the food processor.
• Break up the sausage well – cook the sausage meat over a medium heat in a little olive oil and use a spatula to break it into small pieces as it browns. Small crumbles spread more evenly through the layers.
• Blend the cottage cheese until completely smooth – a bullet blender or food processor gives you a creamy, ricotta-like layer with no lumps.
• No need to boil lasagna noodles – fresh lasagne sheets soften in the oven as they soak up the sauce, which saves you a step. Trim the sheets to fit your dish so the bottom of the dish is fully covered.
• Finish with cottage cheese on the final layer – pouring the cheese mixture over the top sheet of pasta keeps it from drying out and gives you a creamy top under the melted cheese.
• Cover if it browns too quickly – if the cheese is browning before the lasagne is cooked through, loosely cover it with aluminum foil for the rest of the bake.

Storage

This butternut lasagne recipe keeps really well, which makes it perfect for meal prep.

• Leftover lasagne – store slices in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat individual slices in the microwave, or cover the dish with aluminum foil and reheat in a 180°C/350°F oven for 15-20 minutes.
• Freezer – freeze individual slices or the whole thing (wrapped well) for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
• Make ahead – assemble the lasagne, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking. Add 5-10 minutes to the bake time since it’s going in cold.
• Butternut squash puree – make the puree up to 3 days ahead and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. Any leftover puree is lovely stirred into a soup.

Butternut Squash Lasagne

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By: Sarah Bell

Layers of tender lasagne sheets, silky butternut squash sauce, browned chicken sausage, kale and fresh sage, all topped with golden, bubbling cheese. This Butternut Lasagne is cosy, comforting and packed with veggies. It feeds a crowd and makes the best leftovers!

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Prep Time 35 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

MetricUS Customary

Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 kg chicken sausages
• ▢ 1.7 kg butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed and cubed (1.4kg peeled and deseeded)
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• ▢ 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ 500 grams cottage cheese
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 1 bunch sage
• ▢ 420 grams fresh lasagne sheets
• ▢ ½ cup cheddar cheese, grated, firmly packed
• ▢ ½ cup mozzarella cheese, grated, firmly packed
• ▢ 1 cup finely chopped kale

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Instructions 

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/392°F (conventional). Grease a large baking dish with olive oil and set aside.
2. Add the cubed butternut squash to a steamer basket atop a large saucepan of water. Place the lid on and bring to a boil to steam the butternut squash. Once the squash is tender enough to break up with a fork, turn off the heat. Transfer the squash to a food processor along with the chicken broth, onion powder and garlic powder and blend until smooth a creamy. Set aside.
3. While the butternut squash steams, bring a large frying pan to a medium heat. Drizzle with olive oil and then squeeze the chicken sausage meat out of the casings. Use a spatula to break up the sausage meat as it browns. Turn off the heat and set aside.
4. Add the cottage cheese to a bullet blender along with the eggs and blend until smooth and creamy.
5. To assemble the lasagne, place a layer of lasagne pasta sheets on the bottom of the large baking dish to cover the entire base. Top with a layer of butternut squash puree, then sausage meat, then scatter over the kale leaves. Spoon one third of the cottage cheese mixture onto the kale and then add more sheets of pasta. Repeat this step to create a second layer. Repeat this a third time but instead of spooning the cottage cheese over the kale, layer lasagne sheets and then pour the remaining cottage cheese mixture over the lasagne sheets. Spread into an even layer.
6. Mix together the cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese and scatter over the top of the lasagne and arrange some sage leaves on top.
7. Place the lasagne into the oven to bake for 30-35 minutes and the cheese is golden brown and bubbling. Remove from the oven, slice and serve warm alongside some leafy greens.

Notes

Lasagne sheets: this recipe uses fresh lasagne sheets, which don’t need to be cooked first. If using dried sheets, check the packet instructions, as some need to be boiled until al dente before layering. Use gluten free lasagne sheets to make this gluten free.

Swaps: ricotta can replace the cottage cheese, baby spinach can replace the kale, and pumpkin can replace the butternut squash.

Browning: if the top browns too quickly, loosely cover with foil for the rest of the bake.

Spice: add chilli oil or red pepper flakes for a little heat.

Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition facts are an estimate only.

Nutrition

Calories: 633kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 39gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 197mgSodium: 1916mgPotassium: 962mgFiber: 5gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 23591IUVitamin C: 49mgCalcium: 272mgIron: 5mg

Course: Mains

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