Vegetarian Butternut Squash and Lentil Lasagna

This butternut squash lentil lasagna with lots of vegetables and cheese is a delicious vegetarian pasta dish perfect in autumn or winter.

An excellent butternut squash and lentil lasagna with black Beluga lentils and cheese to keep you warm during these cold days.

Why will you love this recipe?

• Delicious: You will love those flavors and textures. The smooth and creamy butternut squash sauce, the hearty lentils, the comforting pasta.
• Easy: It seems like a lot of work, but it’s not really. You can shred the squash in a food processor, and after that, there is not a lot of trouble left.
• Perfect for entertaining: A vegetarian main dish fit for guests or a holiday dinner. You can be sure to impress!

Recipe ingredients

The list is relatively long, but the ingredients are readily available and cheap.

Butternut squash:

• You can also cook the lasagna with pumpkin or another sort of squash. Make sure you choose a flavorful squash or pumpkin sort. My favorite substitute is Hokkaido pumpkin, also called red Kuri squash.
• I love using pumpkin or squash for making lasagna; this curried chicken lasagna with pumpkin is another favorite. Or you could try this fantastic creamy pumpkin pasta sauce; I love it!

Beluga lentils:

• They are small, black lentils that resemble Beluga caviar, hence the name.
• Unlike other lentils, Beluga lentils are firm and retain their shape when cooked, making them perfect to use in salads or a lentil lasagna recipe.
• Puy lentils can be used instead if you cannot find Beluga lentils.

Lasagna sheets:

• I use no-boil lasagna or oven-ready sheets; they are the only ones I ever use. They are practical, I always have them in my pantry, and I can skip the step of boiling water and pre-cooking the sheets.

Cheese:

• I use Gouda or Cheddar most of the time. Buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself; already grated cheese contains additives that prevent it from melting properly.

Vegetables: leek, carrots, celery, potato (helps make the sauce creamy), shallots, garlic, parsley.

Pantry ingredients: olive oil, tomato paste, vegetable stock, honey, balsamic vinegar, dried thyme, salt, and pepper. And heavy cream and butter from the fridge.

How to make butternut squash lasagna

Vegetable sauce:

• Finely chop the leek, carrot, celery, shallots, and garlic.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and braise the vegetables lightly (1).
• Wash the lentils and add them to the pot (2).
• Add tomato paste, vegetable stock, salt, pepper, and thyme (3). Stir well and simmer for about 20 minutes.
• Add grated potato and cook for 5 to 10 more minutes or until the potato is soft, the sauce is creamy, and the lentils are cooked but not mushy (regard the lentils' packing instructions as well). Adjust the taste with salt and pepper (4).

Butternut squash sauce:

• While the lentils are cooking, peel and grate the squash. Chop the shallots and garlic.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Braise shallots and garlic, add squash, and braise it for about 5 minutes (5).
• Add the honey, 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Add the cream and let cook until everything turns creamy, about 6-8 minutes (6).
• Add a splash of milk if the sauce seems too thick. Adjust the taste with salt, pepper, and more balsamic vinegar, if necessary. Stir in the parsley.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Assemble the lentil lasagna in a rectangular casserole dish (about 32 x 22 cm/ ca 12 x 9 inch):

• ⅓ of the squash mixture - lasagna sheets – ½ of the lentil mixture - some of the grated cheese - lasagna sheets again 
• ⅓ of the squash mixture – lasagna sheets – ½ of the lentil mixture – some of the grated cheese - lasagna sheets
• ⅓ of the squash mixture as the last layer.
• Sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese and some butter flakes.

Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until the pasta is cooked through. Check by poking the noodles with a fork.

Expert Tips

• Make sure to check the cooking time mentioned on the pack of lentils, they usually need about 25-30 minutes, but it is better to check.
• Use the food processor to shred the squash and the potato; it speeds up things.

Recipe FAQ

How to store and reheat?

• Refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
• Reheat in the microwave or the oven. If reheating in the oven, do it in a clean casserole dish, cover it with aluminum foil, and reheat at 180 degrees Celsius/ 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes or until hot.
• Freeze the slices in an airtight container for about 2-3 months. Defrost in the fridge and reheat before eating.

What to serve with squash lentil lasagna?

More lasagna recipes

Butternut Squash and Lentil Lasagna (Vegetarian)

Butternut squash and lentil lasagna with lots of cheese, a delicious vegetarian pasta dish perfect during the cold months of the year.

4.84 from 6 votes

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Course: Pasta and Rice

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 589kcal

Author: Adina

Equipment

• ▢
  1 Casserole dish 32 x 22 cm/ ca 12.5 x 8.6 inches

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Ingredients 

USEU

• ▢ Lentil sauce:
• ▢ 1 medium leek 200 g/ 7 oz
• ▢ 1 medium carrot
• ▢ 3 celery stalks, small
• ▢ 3 shallots
• ▢ 1 garlic clove
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 cup Beluga lentils or Puy lentils
• ▢ 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ▢ 2 ½ cups vegetable stock
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ▢ 1 potato, small 150 g/ 5.5 oz
• ▢ ½ teaspoon fine sea salt or Kosher, more or less to taste
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ▢ Butternut squash sauce:
• ▢ 1 lb butternut squash See note 1
• ▢ 2 shallots
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons clear honey
• ▢ 2-3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar to taste
• ▢ 1 ⅓ cups heavy cream
• ▢ 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt or Kosher, more or less to taste
• ▢ 1 pinch black pepper
• ▢ Butternut squash lasagna:
• ▢ 9 oz no cook lasagna sheets Note 2
• ▢ 2 cups cheese, grated Gouda, Cheddar
• ▢ a few flakes of butter

Instructions

Lentil sauce:

• Finely chop the leek, carrot, celery, shallots, and garlic.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and braise the vegetables lightly, about 5 minutes.
• Simmer: Add the washed lentils and tomato paste. Stir well and add the vegetable stock, salt, pepper, and thyme. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until the lentils are cooked.
• Grate the potato and add it to the pot. Let cook for 5 to 10 more minutes or until the grated potato is soft, the sauce creamy, and the lentils soft but not mushy (Note 3). Adjust the taste with salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar.

Butternut squash sauce:

• Prepare butternut squash: In the meantime, peel and grate the butternut squash (use a food processor if you wish). Then, chop the remaining shallots and garlic.
• Braise squash: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Lightly braise the shallots and the garlic, add squash, and braise it for about 5 minutes. Add honey, 2 tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.
• Simmer sauce: Add the heavy cream and let cook until everything turns creamy, about 6-8 minutes. Add a splash of milk if the sauce seems too thick.
• Adjust the taste with salt, pepper, and more balsamic vinegar, if necessary. Stir in the parsley.

Assemble the lasagna:

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Assemble the butternut squash lasagna with lentils in a rectangular casserole dish:

  ⅓ of the squash mixture - lasagna sheets – ½ of the lentil mixture - some of the cheese - lasagna sheets again

  ⅓ of the squash mixture – lasagna sheets – ½ of the lentil mixture – some of the cheese - lasagna sheets

  ⅓ of the squash mixture as the last layer.

  Sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese and dot with some butter flakes.
• Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until the lasagna sheets are cooked through. Check by poking the noodles with a fork.

Notes

1. Hokkaido/ red Kuri squash can be used instead. This kind of squash doesn't have to be peeled.
2. Use as much as you need to have 4 layers of noodles, in my case about 14 sheets.
3. Read the lentils' packing instructions regarding the cooking times and check to see that the lentils are properly cooked.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of the lasagna | Calories: 589kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 1082mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 16g

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