Butternut Squash Dutch Oven Lasagna
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

One of the awesome things about the holidays is not only do you get to have one big celebration on a specific day, but throughout the whole season you get to catch up with friends and family that are in town.
There are all these meals that happen in between that I think deserve a special recipe. I imagine a group of college friends sitting by the fire, sipping on wine or boozy hot chocolate, laughing about old times. You can project your own glory day experiences into this imaginary scenario.


This butternut squash dutch oven lasagna is:
Delicious enough for a celebration but easy enough for a weeknight meal. While this recipe is amazing any day of the week, it also doubles as a fun addition to your Thanksgiving table. The hearty, cheesy feel is the perfect nod to your traditional lasagna but the butternut squash noodles add a fun, modern, autumn twist that will have everyone talking.
Easy to prep ahead! This time of year gets so busy with the boys and all their after school activities and homework. So, having a meal prepped in my dutch oven that I can just pop in the oven and be done with makes my life run so much smoother.
Has unexpected, delicious sweetness. The butternut squash “lasagna noodles” add a nice sweetness to the dish.
Low carb and gluten free! Because the “noodles” are literally just shaved butternut squash, it keeps the meal low carb and gluten free.

I’m using Le Creuset’s Dutch Oven:
Since Le Creuset products are so reliable, versatile, and beautiful, I was really excited to think through some meals that would work both on the holiday table but also easy enough to throw together for some in-between meals.
I love my Le Creuset round dutch oven (how gorgeous is that indigo color?!) because it’s so sturdy and made with such quality and care. It’s one of those cookware pieces that lasts and is handed down through generations.
I love the bold splash of color when you add the dutch oven to the table, I feel like it really just elevates any meal you make in it.
Anyway, get out your dutch oven, I promise you will be making this dish on repeat! I can’t wait to hear what you think!

Ingredients to make butternut squash lasagna:
- whole milk ricotta
- egg
- parsley
- butternut squash
- avocado oil
- sweet onion
- garlic
- grass-fed ground beef: you can sub in any other ground meat you prefer, or if you want to make this vegetarian, feel free to leave it out!
- marinara sauce
- sea salt
- mozzarella cheese
- Parmesan cheese

How to make dutch oven lasagna:
How to make butternut squash lasagna noodles:
Cut the small end off the squash. Hold on to the larger bell part of the squash and use a vegetable peeler to peel and discard the outer skin.
After the skin is discarded, set your mandolin to the smallest setting. Slide it across the mandolin to cut the neck of the butternut squash into thin circles. You need about 2 cups of butternut squash “noodles.”
Prep the components:
Mix together the ricotta, egg, and parsley in a medium bowl and set aside.
Place the avocado oil in your dutch oven pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 15 minutes stirring frequently.
Next, add the garlic and meat continue to cook for another 5 – 10 minutes, using your spatula to break up and brown the meat.
Once the meat is browned and the onions are golden brown, add the marinara and salt to the pot and stir.
Then, bring the meat sauce to a bubble and then transfer to large bowl or large liquid measuring cup to assemble the lasagna.
Assemble the lasagna:
Pour about ½ cup of sauce to the bottom of the the dutch oven.
Line the butternut squash slices on top of the sauce across the bottom dish.
Place dollops of the ricotta mixture on top and use a rubber spatula to spread it out on top of the squash noodles.
Tear pieces of mozzarella and place on top of the squash noodles. Sprinkle with some shredded Parmesan cheese.
Continue the layering process for another 2 layers (4 – 5 total) until the squash noodles and cheese are used up.
Cover the dutch oven with the lid and bake for 25 minutes.
Remove the lid and place the lasagna under the broiler for about 2 minutes until the top is golden brown and bubbling.
Let sit for 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley and enjoy!

Other easy dinners you’ll love:
- Juicy Whole Roasted Chicken
- Easy + Creamy Chicken Marsala
- Lemon Cranberry Chicken Skillet
- Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Slow Cooker Jackfruit Stew + Celery Root Mash

Butternut Squash Dutch Oven Lasagna
-
Prep Time: 30 min
-
Cook Time: 20 min
-
Total Time: 50 min
-
Yield: serves 6 1x
-
Category: dinner
-
Method: stovetop
-
Cuisine: lasagna
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
You’ll love this one pot Butternut Squash Dutch Oven Lasagna! It comes together so easily and is such a crowd pleaser! Delicious ow carb + gluten free meal!
Ingredients
- 8 oz. whole milk ricotta
- 1 egg
- ½ cup chopped parsley + more for garnish
- 1 butternut squash (not all will be used)
- 3 tablespoons refined coconut oil
- 1 sweet onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lb. grass-fed ground beef
- 24 oz. marinara sauce
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Mix together the ricotta, egg, and parsley in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Cut the small end off the squash. Hold on to the larger bell part of the squash and use a vegetable peeler to peel and discard the outer skin.
- After the skin is discarded, set your mandolin to the smallest setting. Slide it across the mandolin to cut the neck of the butternut squash into thin circles. Set aside.
- Place the avocado oil in your dutch oven pot over medium heat.
- Add the onion and cook for 15 minutes stirring frequently.
- Add the garlic and meat continue to cook for another 5 – 10 minutes, using your spatula to break up and brown the meat.
- Once the meat is browned and the onions are golden brown, add the marinara and salt to the pot and stir.
- Bring to a bubble and then transfer to large bowl or large liquid measuring cup to assemble the lasagna.
- Pour about ½ cup of sauce to the bottom of the the dutch oven.
- Line the butternut squash slices on top of the sauce across the bottom dish.
- Pace dollops of the ricotta mixture on top and use a rubber spatula to spread it out on top of the squash noodles.
- Tear pieces of mozzarella and place on top of the squash noodles. Sprinkle with some shredded Parmesan cheese.
- Add another layer of meat sauce followed by squash noodles, followed by a ricotta layer, followed by another cheese cheese layer.
- Continue the layering process for another 2 layers (4 – 5 total) until the squash noodles and cheese are used up.
- Cover the dutch oven with the lid and bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove the lid and place the lasagna under the broiler for about 2 minutes until the top is golden brown and bubbling.
- Let sit for 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley and enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of the lasagna
- Calories: 596
- Sugar: 12.1g
- Sodium: 1129mg
- Fat: 36.7g
- Saturated Fat: 15.2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 26g
- Fiber: 4.5g
- Protein: 41.9g
- Cholesterol: 141mg
Keywords: butternut squash lasagna, butternut squash lasagne, butternut squash lasagna noodles, butternut squash lasagna keto, butternut squash lasagna low carb, butternut squash lasagna gluten free, venetarian lasagna, vegetable lasagna recipe, venetarian lasagna recipes, vegetable lasagna zucchini, vegetarian zucchini lasagna, veggie lasagna, veggie lasagna recipe, veggie lasagna noodles, veggie and meat lasagna, veggie lasagna roll ups, veggie gluten free lasagna, veggie lasagna ingredients
Enjoy!! Xo
Thank you so much to Le Creuset for sponsoring this post! I love working with my favorite brands and couldn’t be more thrilled and honored they support The Toasted Pine Nut! xo
Do you think this would work without the egg? We have an egg allergy in the family, but this looks SO good and the perfect thing to make the week of Thanksgiving!
Yes I think it should be fine without the egg. I hope you guys love it! xo
Could you make this ahead?
Yes, I usually make ahead get the prep/layering done and then do the stovetop cooking and broiling once we’re ready to eat. Enjoy!! xo
Does the oil need to be coconut for the flavor, or can it be a different type of oil?
Hi Cynthia! It can be any kind of oil or butter if you prefer! Hope you love it!! xo
It looks so good!
What size of dutch oven is used?
★★★★★
I used a 5.5 qt 🙂
What size Dutch oven do you use? I used a 5.5 quart Le Creuset and found the onions carmelized much faster than the recipe stated over medium heat. Also, any tips for getting the “noodles” to the perfect consistency? Mine turned out really al dente but overal we loved this recipe and will try again!
★★★★
I have a 5.5 quart also. I’m starting to recommend people use a mandolin on the thinnest setting for the best results. I love the idea of using a vegetable peeler, but there’s so much individual variation depending how hard a person presses as they peel and how big their peeler is. If you have a mandolin, give it a try and let me know how it goes! xo
Made it for dinner and we all loved it, even my husband who doesn’t eat squash. We just didn’t tell him what was in it and he wanted to save the rest for himself. Really delicious and not difficult to make.
★★★★★
Yay!! I’m so happy you guys enjoyed it!!
Hi, can I make this completely in the oven like you would make a regular lasagna? I don’t own a Dutch oven. It this looks delicious 😋
Aw thank you! You can use an oven proof dish that you would for traditional lasagna. Hope you enjoy!! xo
HELP? The butternut squash does not form noodles, they are approximately the thickness of Saran Wrap and they are about 1/2 inch wide.
Do you have a mandolin? I didn’t at the time of this recipe hence the peeler. But, the “noodles” are thinner than a traditional lasagna noodle. I would press down harder with your peeler and go slower to get a better “noodle.” Let me know how it goes! xo
The flavour was really good! I added in some spinach to the cheese/parsley mix too. However, the butternut squash strips did not cook enough in the timeframe on the recipe. Some were still rock hard! I would recommend people add 10-15+ minutes to the cooking time and ensure the strips are super thin.
★★★★
Yes I think it also depends on how thick your butternut squash strips are. Mine were pretty thin but I was thinking I really need to make this recipe again and use a mandolin so I can standardize the thickness of the strips and get a standard cooking time.
This was REALLY freakin good!
yay!! i’m so glad you loved it!! xo
Hi! I am new to your website and I just wanted to tell you I made this over the weekend and my husband and I absolutely loved it! I am looking forward to trying more of your recipes!!
★★★★★
Yay!! I’m so happy you’re here and that you enjoyed the recipe! I can’t wait to see what else you make!! xo
WE LOVE THIS RECIPE!!! It’s easy, it’s delicious and a great way to get a veg in. The texture of the butternut squash noodles might even be better than regular noodles in my opinion. I’ve recommended to all my friends and is definitely a go-to recipe for us. Thank you Lindsay!!
★★★★★
It’s one of my absolute faves!! I’m so happy you loved it!! xo
Hello, this looks delicious! I’d love to make it but wondered if you have any suggestions for an lactose free alternative to the ricotta?
Thanks!
Hi!! No, unfortunately I don’t. I would check out the dairy free cheese section of your grocery store. They may have a good option, but I don’t know how it will bake.
Love this recipe! Any suggestions for what to do with the leftover butternut squash??
★★★★★
Yes!! This butternut squash mac n cheese or this butternut squash + beet harvest salad are both delish!!
Hi! I am dying to make this but I can’t eat beef. Can this be made with ground turkey instead?
Hi!! Yes you can use any ground meat or just leave it out! Let me know how you like it!! xo
Amazing flavor however I used a mandolin at 1/4in thickness and the butternut squash was not tender. I figured that just reading through the recipe & I did 400 for 25 min. Still not enough.
★★★
Aw yeah! I think 1/4 inch is way too thick. I would suggest 1 or 2 mm on your mandolin. Let me know how you make out!!
This recipe was AMAZING!!! I made it on Christmas Eve, and will be making it again ASAP.
★★★★★
Aw I love that it was a part of your holiday and that it was a winner!! Sending you lots of love!! xo