This butternut squash and spinach white lasagna are what cozy autumn nights were MADE for. This white lasagna is not only vegetarian and full of flavor but made with THE creamiest bechamel sauce. You’ll be licking your plate clean.

This post on Butternut Squash & Spinach White Lasagna is sponsored by Roth Cheese, all opinions expressed are my own. 

Last month was an absolute whirlwind, between traveling to Colorado for a photoshoot with Purely Elizabeth, a quick trip to Storybook with my fam and I even took my first trip to Madison, Wisconsin. I was so excited to finish out summer on a high note with lots of travel. It was my first time traveling to Madison and you can take one guess what I was there for…

CHEESE! Roth Cheese brought me out for an epic cheese immersion tour where we got to learn everything there is to know about cheese and how they make their unique recipes (24 to be exact!). I am so excited to be partnering with Roth Cheese over the next few months to bring you some of my cheesiest recipes yet. Pesto Grilled Cheese with Havarti being one of my favorites to date!

Let’s talk cheese tour! 

Before this cheese tour I thought I knew a bit about cheese but MAN, the cheese world is SO cool. Roth Cheese took us through their creamery and just how their cheesemongers handcraft each wheel of cheese.

Each wheel is individually inspected, flipped (those wheels are heavy!) and test bacteria levels before hitting the shelves. Some of my favorite moments as a food blogger including dressing up in cheese scrubs and taking ridiculous photos with other food bloggers #perks. 

My favorite part about visiting the creamery was why I liked to call ‘the ministry of cheese room’. If you got that Harry Potter reference, I’m air fiving you. Basically, there is a cheese cellar room that holds over 73,000 wheels of Roth’s Grand Cru recipe (their flagship cheese!). It was one of the most amazing rooms (and smells) I had ever experienced. 
Heading to the Farm 

After we were fully immersed in cheesemaking (and full from fondue) we headed on a bus about an hour away to visit one of the dairy farms where Roth Cheese milk is supplied from. I find the whole ‘know where you food comes from’ topic very interesting and I truly believe it is a topic that American’s don’t hold a ton of knowledge on. 

I was pleasantly surprised to find free-roaming cows and know that 90% of Wisconsin’s’ dairy farms were still family-owned. All of the milk sourced for cheesemaking is within a 60-mile radius and is rBST-free. 

Fun cheese facts from the tour: 

• The longer cheese is aged, the less lactose it has. 3-month or longer aged cheese is essentially lactose-free.
• You can indeed cut spots of mold off of a cheese wedge and the remainder is still good to eat! 
• It takes 10 lbs of milk to make just 1 lb of cheese
• Wisconsin is the only state that has a Master Cheese Maker Program

The cheese that stood out to me most, was Grand Cru. I knew without a doubt that I had to come back and create a delectable cream sauce with shreds of this aged masterpiece. This cheese has aged a minimum of four months and packs a full-bodied, robust flavor. Wonderful for bites on its own and even more memorable in today’s Butternut Squash & Spinach White Lasagna.

Butternut Squash & Spinach White Lasagna Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• Butternut squash
• Spinach
• Garlic
• Sage
• Ricotta cheese
• Salt & pepper
• Butter
• All-purpose flour
• Milk
• Cayenne pepper
• Nutmeg
• Grand Cru Cheese
• Lasagna Noodles

How To Make Butternut Squash & Spinach White Lasagna:

1. Roast (1) medium butternut squash in the oven at 425 degrees until tender and golden brown. 
2. Let squash cool and blend in a food processor with ricotta cheese to create a creamy filling.
3. Boil lasagna noodles until al dente. Remove, cool and set aside. 
4. In a small saucepan, whisk butter, sage, and flour on medium heat until smooth. Slowly whisk in milk and bring to a strong simmer. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and whisk in grated grand cru cheese, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper until smooth, set aside.
5. In a saute pan add in olive oil, garlic, and spinach. Cook down for 2-3 minutes or until spinach is wilted, set aside.
6. Begin to assemble lasagna: In a casserole dish add in 1-2 spoonfuls of bechamel sauce to the bottom of the pan. Layer lasagna noodles, butternut squash ricotta mixture, spinach, and bechamel until the pan is full to the top.
7. Top lasagna off with more shredded Grand Cru and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is melty and golden. 

More Cheesy Recipes You’ll Love:

• Gruyere and Gouda Bacon Mac and Cheese
• Homemade Hot Pretzels with Smoked Gouda Beer Cheese Sauce 
• Teriyaki Salmon and Whipped Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes
• Blue Cheese and Beer Macaroni and Cheese

Butternut Squash & Spinach White Lasagna

Recipe By Elizabeth Van Lierde

Prep TimePrep: 40 minutes mins

Cook TimeCook: 25 minutes mins

Servings: 1 hour and 5 minutes

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This butternut squash and spinach white lasagna are what cozy autumn nights were MADE for. This white lasagna is not only vegetarian and full of flavor, but made with THE creamiest bechamel sauce. You’ll be licking your plate clean.

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ingredients

 

1x2x3x

For butternut squash filling:

•  
• 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
•  
• 3-4 Cups / 1 medium butternut squash peeld & cubed
•  
• 3 Garlic cloves minced
•  
• 1 Tablespoon of fresh minced sage
•  
• 2 Cups of ricotta cheese
•  
• Salt & pepper to taste
•  

For Bechamel Sauce:

•  
• 4 Tablespoons of butter
•  
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
•  
• 1 Tbs. chopped fresh sage
•  
• 3 ½ cups whole milk
•  
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
•  
• Pinch of grated nutmeg
•  
• 2 cups grated Roth Grand Cru Cheese
• For spinach: 
•  
• 1 Tablespoon of olive oil 
•  
• 3 Cups of fresh spinach leaves
•  
• 2 Garlic cloves minced 
•  
• 1 Standard box of lasagna noodles

instructions

 

for butternut squash:

• Preheat oven to 425 F. In a large baking sheet spread out butternut squash cubes and drizzle with olive oil, minced garlic, sage, and season with salt and pepper. Toss well and bake for 20-25 minutes or until squash is golden brown and tender. Set aside to cool.
• In a food processor or blender add cooled squash, ricotta cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Blend until desired consistency is reached (I left mine a bit chunky for added texture). Set aside until lasagna is ready to layer.

for spinach:

• In a saute pan add in olive oil, garlic, and spinach. Cook down for 2-3 minutes or until spinach is wilted, set aside.

for the béchamel sauce:

• In a saucepan over medium heat, melt 4 Tbs. butter. When the butter foams, add the flour and sage and cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk a little at a time and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes. 
Whisk in the shredded cheese, cayenne pepper and nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

for noodles:

• Bring a large stock pot of water to a rolling boil. Add in noodles and cook according to package directions for 'al dente', about 8-9 minutes. Drain, rinse with cool water and set aside.

for lasagna assembly:

• Turn oven to 375 F. In a casserole dish add in 1-2 spoonfuls of bechamel sauce to the bottom of the pan. Layer lasagna noodles, butternut squash ricotta mixture, spinach, and bechamel until the pan is full to the top.
• Top lasagna off with more shredded Grand Cru and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is melty and golden. 

Nutrition Info.

Nutrition

Serving: 8-10 Servings

Disclaimer: Nutritional values were calculated using a third-party tool and are provided as an estimation only.

Course: Pasta

Cuisine: Italian

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