Name: Butternut Squash Dutch Oven Lasagna
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: lasagna
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

side view of a spatula taking a scoop of lasagna out of the dutch oven — Butternut Squash Lasagna uses slices of squash as the noodles! It comes together so easily and is a delicious low carb + gluten free dinner! #sponsored

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.

Overhead image of a blue dutch oven with butternut squash lasagna inside and a plate with a slice of the lasagna on it.

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.

Overhead image of a blue le crueset dutch oven with a cheesy lasagna inside

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!

Side view of a plate with a slice of butternut squash lasagna and a blue dutch oven in the background

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

overhead view of a blue dutch oven with a cheesy lasagna inside. A spatula is cutting away slices of the lasagna.

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!

overhead image of a plate with a slice of butternut squash lasagna and a blue dutch oven at the top of the image with more lasagna inside.

Other easy dinners you’ll love:

Did you make this? Leave a review below and tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!

Recipe

GF Gluten-Free NF Nut-Free