Butternut Squash Lasagna – Sage, Prosciutto & Goats Cheese
Jan 09, 2018, Updated Feb 09, 2021
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Butternut squash lasagna made with roasted butternut squash, prosciutto, goats cheese, ricotta, and crispy sage leaves. A wintery, indulgent comfort food dish that’ll keep you cozy all evening. This white lasagna has quite probably been my favourite meal all winter. Be warned it is rich but it’s JUST SO DAMN DELICIOUS!
Did someone say it’s healthy January?..
Ahem, ok I’ve pretty much failed at the first hurdle, last week I posted this winter salad recipe with Gorgonzola and now I’ve got a cheesy white butternut squash lasagna for you but can you blame me?
I mean, just look at it.
Lasagna or lasagne (find out the difference here if you’re curious) is officially my favourite meal, ever. Did I really just say that? Did I actually just commit myself to having one favourite meal?. Let’s just say, right here, right now it is my absolute food heaven.
And I’m kinda addicted.
Whether it’s a classic meat ragu lasagna, a vegetarian lentil lasagna or this butternut squash lasagna, there is just something about the fresh pasta, layered with cheese and a tasty, bubbling filling that’s irresistibly delicious.
So while everyone else is drinking smoothies and eating salads, I’m pretty much just sitting here with this guy.
Sage and prosciutto are one of my favourite flavour combos and they go perfectly with this cheesy butternut squash lasagna. You should also check out my prosciutto chicken involtini with spinach and ricotta if you’re looking for a lighter meal packed full of flavour.
Making Fresh Pasta
Now I know it takes at least an extra half hour to make fresh pasta aaaand I know we ain’t all got that extra time. I use fresh store-bought lasagna sheets all the time and seriously there is nothing wrong with it.
IF I have time I will make fresh pasta because I love making pasta, it’s so much fun and honestly, there is a difference in the overall flavour of lasagna with homemade pasta and it really is worth it.
How Many Lasagna Layers Do I Need?
When making lasagna you need to have a lot of layers. If you have three or four layers packed full of meat sauce or whatever filling you’re using then the lasagna is going to collapse when you serve it and it will be so sloppy and messy with hardly any pasta.
You need around 6-7 layers of pasta. Don’t worry about packing each layer with filling you don’t need a lot and you want a good balance of pasta and filling. Remember to always leave more sauce for the final top layer so the pasta doesn’t dry out and it’s nice and bubbling when it comes out the oven.
How To Make Butternut Squash Lasagna – Step By Step
First, roast the butternut squash by removing the skin from the squash with a knife and roughly chop it into medium sized chunks. Add it to a large baking tray with the garlic cloves (skins still on), sprinkle over the oregano with a little salt and pepper and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Roast in the oven for 30-35 minutes until soft and cooked through.
Meanwhile, make the pasta or skip this step if using store-bought fresh lasagna sheets (use store bought for quickness). See the recipe card below for more details.
Remove the squash from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes. Squeeze the garlic out of their skins and mash the garlic and squash together with a fork (if there is a lot of liquid then try to drain as much as you can).
Next, grate the fontal or melting cheese of your choice and mix it with the ricotta in a bowl with half the nutmeg and a pinch of salt and pepper, set aside.
Now make a bechamel sauce with butter and Parmesan, see full instructions in the recipe card and an even more detailed description here. << You can also make bechamel sauce with olive oil here.
Time to layer it up…
Add a couple of spoonfuls of bechamel (white sauce) to the bottom of an oven proof baking dish and spread it out evenly. Next add a layer of pasta (either freshly made or fresh shop bought, cut to size). Add a spoonful of squash the spread it out over the pasta.
Next dot over some ricotta mixture, crumble a little goats cheese and tear over pieces of prosciutto. Finally, drizzle over some more white sauce and spread it over the toppings. Repeat this until all the ingredients are used up, make sure to keep a little extra bechamel for the final layer.
P.S I like to save a little extra prosciutto for the very top because it looks pretty when it comes out of the oven and gives some texture. If you’re doing this then add the prosciutto when the foil comes off the lasagna and it goes in for the second bake.
Cover the lasagna with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
Finally, fry the sage leaves in 1 tbsp of olive oil for a few seconds, drain on kitchen paper then garnish the lasagna, serve.
More Comfort Food Recipes To Try:
- Parmigiana di Melanzane ( Aubergine Parmigiana)
- Broccoli Rabe Ricotta Gnudi With Parmesan cream
- Pizzocchieri Pasta with Potatoes and Cabbage
- Mozzarella in Carrozza – Fried mozzarella sandwiches
- Baked Polenta with Beef and Sausage Ragu
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Butternut squash lasagna
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs (1 kg) butternut squash
- 5-6 garlic cloves
- 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 5.2 oz (150g) fontal , , or a good melting cheese such as fontina, gruyere or cheddar
- 8.8 oz (250g) ricotta cheese, ,good quality
- 1.7 oz (50g) butter
- 1 heaped tbsp (30g) flour
- 2.5 cups (600 ml) milk
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp freshly grated parmesan
- 3.5 oz (100g) goats cheese, crumbly kind not soft
- 3.5 oz (100g) prosciutto crudo
- 5-6 sage leaves
- store bought fresh lasagna sheets enough for 6-7 layers OR follow ingredients below for homemade
To Make Fresh Pasta:
- 1 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp (200g) Italian 00 flour or all purpose
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350F/gas mark 4.
- Remove the skin from the squash with a knife and roughly chop it into medium sized chunks. Add it to a large baking tray with the garlic cloves (skins still on), sprinkle over the oregano with a little salt and pepper and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Roast in the over for 30-35 minutes until soft and cooked through.
Making Fresh Pasta
- Meanwhile make the pasta or skip this step if using shop bough fresh lasagne sheets.
- To make the pasta add the flour to a large mixing bowl or a large clean work surface and make a well in the middle. Crack the eggs into the well and whisk with a fork incorporating the flour slowly. Once the dough starts to come together begin kneading it with your hands.
- Use extra flour as needed to dust the work surface and continue to knead the dough for 8-10 minutes until it’s very smooth. Cut the dough in half, if there are tiny air bubbles inside then it’s ready, if not continue kneading. Wrap the pasta dough in cling film and set aside.
- Remove the squash from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes. Squeeze the garlic out of their skins and mash the garlic and squash together with a fork. (If there is a lot of liquid try to drain as much as you can and avoid the liquid when adding it to the lasagna).
- Next, grate the fontal or melting cheese of your choice and mix it with the ricotta in a bowl with half the nutmeg and a pinch of salt and pepper, set aside.
Make The White Sauce
- Now make the white sauce, add the butter to a saucepan under a medium heat. Once melted, add the flour and stir into a paste. Cook the paste, stirring so it doesn’t burn for 1 minute then add half of the milk while whisking constantly to avoid any lumps.
- Once the sauce starts to thicken add the other half of the milk and whisk again until thick and creamy. Add the parmesan, pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper and stir, turn off the heat once the parmesan has melted and set aside.
Roll Out Pasta
- If using fresh home made pasta, roll it out at this point. You want pasta sheets long enough to fit your baking dish.
- If using a pasta machine (easiest way) set the dial to the widest point (usually 0). Cut the pasta dough into 3 and feed the first piece through the machine. Fold one end of the pasta dough into the middle of the dough and the other end other that to create a third. Feed that through the machine once more. Repeat this 2-3 times then feed the dough through each number of the machine until you reach number 7 or 8 ( the dough should be nice and thin). Repeat this with all 3 pieces of dough.
Assemble The lasagna
- Add a couple of spoonfuls of white sauce to the bottom of an oven proof baking dish and spread it out evenly. Next add a layer of pasta (either freshly made or fresh shop bough, cut to size). Add a spoonful of squash the spread it out over the pasta.
- Next dot over some ricotta mixture, crumble a little goats cheese and tear over pieces of prosciutto. Finally drizzle over some more white sauce and spread it over the toppings. Repeat this until all the ingredients are used up, you should have at least 5 or 6 layers. Make sure to keep a little extra white sauce for the final layer.
- Cover the lasagna with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Finally fry the sage leaves in 1 tbsp of olive oil for a few seconds, drain on kitchen paper then garnish the lasagna, serve.
Notes
- I like to save a little extra prosciutto for the very top because it looks pretty when it comes out of the oven and gives some texture. If you're doing this then add the prosciutto when the foil comes off the lasagna and it goes in for the second bake.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is such a gorgeous lasagna! I love the flavors in this dish!
Thanks so much Marlee!
This spin on traditional lasagna looks delicious! I love butternut squash and could see it pairing so well in this!
Thanks Katie, it’s really delicious!
Girl, you had me at butternut! This is a marvelous twist on lasagna…and that crispy prosciutto makes me want to dig in with two forks!
You might need two haha thanks Leslie!
Oh wow, this is absolutely stunning! I’m always on the lookout for a great non-meat lasagna 🙂
You could swap the prosciutto for sun-dried tomatoes for a meat free version 🙂
Wow, my mouth is watering. I love a good lasagna or lasagne… all the cheese… and I try to make fresh pasta when I get the chance.
I love making homemade pasta, it’s the best. Thanks Kaitie!
This looks so deliciously cozy! I love butternut squash, I just HATE cutting it. I love that this is roasted then mashed which means I can take a shortcut and buy pre-cut squash and save myself the torture of cutting it.
That’s a great idea, thanks Alyssa!