Butternut Squash Lasagna with Fresh Milled Khorasan Pasta
This cozy butternut squash lasagna is made with thin sheets of homemade fresh-milled Khorasan pasta, a rich butternut squash vodka meat sauce, and creamy béchamel.
Last week, I made a big pot of Rotini alla Vodka with Butternut Squash and Ground Beef and I had just enough of the butternut squash and meat sauce left over in the refrigerator.
So this week, I decided to turn those leftovers into lasagna.
I made a batch of my Butternut Squash Pasta and layered it with the leftover vodka sauce, a simple béchamel, and mozzarella cheese.
The result was such a good fall dinner—and a great reminder that cooking from scratch doesn’t mean starting completely over every time you cook. Sometimes one meal can become the beginning of the next.
Why I love this lasagna
This isn’t a traditional lasagna, and that’s part of what I love about it.
There are no layers of ricotta or a long list of different cheeses. Instead, you get thin layers of fresh pasta, a flavorful meat sauce, creamy béchamel, and just enough mozzarella on top to make everything bubbly and golden.
The butternut squash shows up in two places: in the vodka sauce and in the homemade pasta. It’s subtle, but you can taste it, and it gives the whole lasagna a really lovely flavor.
The béchamel keeps everything creamy and helps the fresh pasta cook as it bakes.
It’s cozy and comforting without feeling overly heavy.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- 1 batch Butternut Squash Pasta– rolled into thin lasagna sheets. You will only need half the batch of pasta for this lasagna. I like the freeze the extra pasta in sheets for another time. You can also make two lasagnas at once, you’ll just need to double the bechamel sauce.
- Butternut Squash Vodka Meat Sauce – I like to make this ahead of time. It’s incredibly good and worth the effort. The sauce recipe does make extra, so you’ll have enough sauce to make two lasagnas or freeze half the sauce for another time.
- Béchamel Sauce – A simple sauce made with milk, flour & butter.
- 2–3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese – for layering and topping. White cheddar or fontina would also work well here.
Recipe Yield & Make Ahead Tips
- The recipe as written makes 1 9×13 lasagna, or two smaller ones.
- The homemade pasta and butternut squash vodka meat sauce both make more than you’ll need for one lasagna, so they’re great recipes to make ahead.
- I recommend making the meat sauce in advance and storing it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble the lasagna. You can do what I did and have a rotini night with some of the sauce, then save the extra for lasagna, or simply make the sauce on its own.
- Your should have enough sauce for two 9×13 lasagnas. If you want to batch prep, you can assemble and bake two lasagnas at once, then freeze one for later. You will only need to double the bechamel sauce. This makes having a homemade lasagna ready for another night especially easy.
How I Roll Pasta Sheets & Assemble the Lasagna
I found the best way to make lasagna with homemade pasta, is to roll out your pasta and assemble as you go. That way, you don’t need to find places to place your rolled out sheets of pasta, you can just cut and build your lasaga as you go. I like to roll the pasta pretty thin for this recipe, stopping at a 6 on my ankarsrum pasta attachment.
Divide your dough into 4 portions and roll out the dough, flouring as you go, so it doesn’t stick to the counter or the pasta roller. Watch this video to see my method for rolling out sheets of pasta for lasagna or fettuccine.
Do I need to Pre-Boil Homemade Lasagna Sheets?
No! Fresh lasagna sheets cook up beautifully in the oven . The meat sauce and bechamel all help keep the pasta moist as it cooks. I like to tent the lasagna with foil for the first 30 minutes just to ensure that there is enough moisture to cook the pasta. This works perfectly for me!
How to Store Extra Homemade Pasta
You can freeze pasta in sheets or cut the pasta into fettuccine. Toss your extra pasta in semolina flour and shape them into little nest portions. You can then place these on a sheet pan and freeze for 2 hours, and then transfer to a bag or container. Boil them straight from frozen.
Alternatively, you can use a drying rack and dry out your pasta completely and store in the pantry.
You can watch me make this Butternut Squash Lasagna in this Youtube video!
If you make this recipe, please leave a review and let me know how it went! I hope you love it as much as we do!
More Fresh Milled Pasta
If you’re enjoying homemade pasta, here are a few more recipes you might like:
- Easy Enriched Kamut Pasta
- Creamy Veggie & Sausage Lasagna
- Lasagna Soup with Homemade Pasta
- Creamy Alfredo Pasta with Kale
- White Chicken Lasagna with Pesto Filling
Butternut Squash Lasagna with Fresh Milled Khorasan Pasta
Ingredients
Method
- Slice off the top and bottom, slice it in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and coat with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place the squash flesh-side down and roast at 375 for 45 minutes, until a fork can pierce it with little resistance. Scoop out the flesh and measure 1 ½ cups to reserve for the sauce. You also need 150 grams from the homemade pasta.
- Make your homemade butternut squash pasta. Roll it out very thinly for pasta sheets as you are assembling the lasagna.
- Season the ground beef with the salt, Italian seasoning, sage, fennel, black pepper, maple syrup, red wine vinegar, and garlic. Brown over medium high heat, then remove from the pot and set aside.
- Add the butter and olive oil to the same pot. Sauté the onion until softened, then add the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Stir in the tomatoes, roasted butternut squash, and chicken stock. Simmer for about 30 minutes.
- Blend the tomato and butternut squash sauce until smooth. Blend in the heavy cream and vodka, if using. Return the beef to the sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk until combined and a thick paste forms. Slowly add the milk in increments, whisking constantly to prevent any lumps. Once all of the milk has been added, season with nutmeg, pepper, and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10–15 minutes, whisking occasionally, until the sauce has thickened slightly. Keep in mind that it will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Spoon a thin layer of the meat sauce over the bottom of the baking dish. Top with a layer of thin lasagna noodles, followed by more meat sauce. Ladle some of the béchamel over the meat sauce and spread it evenly. Repeat the layers of pasta, meat sauce, and béchamel until you have 3 layers of pasta.You’ll have some extra meat sauce and pasta left over, so freeze them for later—or just make another lasagna for the freezer while you’re at it!For the final layer, top the pasta with béchamel, spreading it evenly to cover. Finish with a generous layer of shredded cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 15 more minutes until golden and bubbly. I like to broil for the last few minuts to get some good color.
Video
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting me and my family!
