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Easy Skillet Butternut Squash Lasagna, an Italian-style fall favorite! This lasagna is so yummy. Broken lasagna noodles mixed into a butternut squash vodka cream sauce with spicy Italian chicken and cheese. Finish this one skillet lasagna in the oven until the sauce bubbles up and the prosciutto on top gets crispy. This is a great fall pasta to serve any night of the week, or for your next Saturday night dinner party!
I told you I was leaning hard into fall dinners and I really did mean it. But doesn’t this look just delicious? I love to use butternut squash and pumpkin in ways you might not think of. Oftentimes we only think to bake with pumpkin, and to make soup out of most of the winter squashes. All delicious, but using squash in other ways can be so yummy and fun! I find the seasonal gourds to be especially great in pasta dishes, salads, and more.
With this skillet lasagna, I sauteed the squash until it caramelized. Then lightly mashed it and created a butternut vodka cream sauce.
It really did end up being simple, and turned out so delicious. I am so excited to share the recipe!
Ingredients
- Dry lasagna noodles
- Ground Italian chicken sausage
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salted butter
- Butternut squash
- Shallots
- Garlic
- Fresh thyme
- Fresh chopped sage
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Chili flakes
- Vodka
- Heavy cream or milk
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Italian cheese, shredded
- Prosciutto
When I had this idea come to mind, I knew that I really wanted to keep the recipe easy. A lot of times these winter squash recipes can be time-intensive and very hands-on. That’s not the case with this skillet lasagna.
Aside from boiling the noodles, the entire meal is made all in the same pan with very little stress or effort. And most importantly, it really is so yummy. My mom actually just texted me and said, “Tieg, the lasagna was soooo delish!”.
Here are the details
Step 1: boil off the noodles
You can use any shortcut pasta, broken lasagna noodles, shells, or whatever you love most.
Step 2: make the sauce
I wanted this to be spicier, so I started with a spicy ground Italian chicken sausage. Our local Whole Foods carries this at the meat counter. They hand-make it. You can also use pork sausage too, or even omit the meat entirely.
Brown the meat in a large oven-safe skillet. I prefer to use only about 1/2 a pound, just enough for added flavor, but use any amount you enjoy. Then pull the sausage out of the pan and set aside on a plate.
Next, add olive oil, butter, and the butternut squash to the skillet. Then season with shallots, garlic, fresh thyme, sage, a tiny pinch of cinnamon, and nutmeg. The cinnamon may sound odd, but you have to trust me, it’s the secret to balancing out this sauce.
Cook the squash slowly in the olive oil until it softens and caramelizes. Now use the back of your spoon or a potato masher to mash the squash down into a puree. I leave my squash chunky, don’t stress about making this into a thin sauce.
Now add the cream, parmesan, and a splash of vodka. Cook until the sauce is super creamy and you no longer smell the vodka. Finish the sauce with lots of parmesan cheese.
Step 3: assemble and bake
Now that our noodles are cooked and the sauce is made, simply mix everything together and bake.
Add the sausage back to the sauce, then the pasta. Toss everything up to coat and finish with cheese. Then add the prosciutto, it will get crispy and delicious in the oven.
When this comes out of the oven, the sauce will bubble up from the pan and the cheese will be very melty. It’s such a creamy delicious skillet pasta bake that has all the flavors we love most this time of year. And it’s cheesy – very cheesy, so it’s beyond good. Think roll your eye back, go for that second serving, good.
Great for the end of October and then into November when the nights begin to get cold and long. The perfect plate to cozy up to by the fire!
Looking for other butternut squash recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Brie and Cheddar Butternut Squash Beer Soup
Creamy Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Pasta
Rosemary Roasted Butternut Squash Pizza
Roasted Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna
Butternut Squash Pasta Carbonara with Rosemary Bacon
Fall Harvest Roasted Butternut Squash and Pomegranate Salad
Hasselback Butternut Squash with Sage Butter and Prosciutto Breadcrumbs
Lastly, if you make this Easy Skillet Butternut Squash Lasagna be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Easy Skillet Spicy Butternut Squash Lasagna
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 623 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 box dry lasagna noodles (broken into 2 inch pieces)
- 1/2 pound ground Italian chicken sausage (optional)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 2-3 cups butternut squash, cubed
- 2 shallots chopped
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- kosher salt and black pepper
- chili flakes
- 1/3 cup vodka
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream or milk
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups Italian cheese, shredded
- 8 slices prosciutto (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook 5-6 minutes. Just before draining, remove 1 1/2 cups of the pasta cooking water. Drain. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.2. Heat a large, oven safe skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage, if using, and brown all over, 5 minutes. Remove from the skillet and set aside. Reduce the heat a bit to medium low-ish.3. Add the olive oil, butter, butternut squash, shallots, garlic, thyme, sage, cinnamon, nutmeg, and season with salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Cook 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the squash softens. Use the back of your spatula or a potato masher to mash the squash down into a chunky puree.4. Stir in the milk and vodka, cook 5, until you no longer smell the vodka. Add 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, and the parmesan. If needed, thin the sauce with additional pasta cooking water. Remove from the heat. 5. Mix in the pasta, sausage, and 1/2 cup of cheese. Scatter the remaining cheese on top, then drape the prosciutto over the cheese. Bake 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling. Top with fresh herbs, and enjoy!
Notes
To Replace the Vodka: just omit the vodka and use extra pasta water.
This post was originally published on September 28, 2023
This is a fantastic combination of flavors. I used Banza Pasta to make it GF, worked perfectly.
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! I appreciate you leaving a comment! 🙂 xT
This was amazing! I especially love that aside from boiling the pasta you only have to use one skillet. So delicious and convenient! Will definitely be making this again 🙂
Thank you so much Maggie! xT
In the video- do you add Pesto?
This recipe was SO, SO delicious! I count macros so tried to make it fit a biiiit easier! I did sub the heavy cream for greek yogurt (1:1 and it worked great) and also swapped the traditional lasagna noodles for Capello’s Almond Flour Lasagna Sheets (got at whole foods, freezer section) and they worked perfectly (you don’t cook them before baking the skillet)!
The cinnamon was unexpectedly delicious and I thought about this meal the entire next day haha so good!
Thanks Tieghan!!
Thank you so so much Ashley! So glad you loved this recipe! xT
I recently made this recipe (exactly as written) for my significant other while we were away on a long weekend trip. To say he loved it is kind of an understatement. Not only did he eat portions each day of the trip (this recipe makes a very sizable amount!), but basically tried to tackle me when I attempted to throw out the small section of leftovers remaining as we were cleaning out the fridge to leave. Ended up wrapping it up in aluminum foil and it made the drive home with us in a cooler bag, where it was promptly inhaled on arrival. Needless to say I will be making this multiple other times this fall. Thanks Tieghan!
Awesome!! Love to hear this Kathleen! xT
Wow, this is a very tasty Fall “comfort food” dish. Kudos…
Thank you so much! Hope you have a great fall season! 🙂 xT
Oh my gosh this was amazing!! I absolutely loved everything about this recipe. The heat with the hot Italian ground sausage and red pepper flakes paired so nicely with the butternut squash sauce, loved the prosciutto on top as well. Will be saving this for future use! Thank you!
Thank you so much! Hope you have a great fall season! 🙂 xT
Why do u use pasta water instead of plain water? Than you
This was delicious. Use lots of salt and chili flakes in the sauce otherwise it will be bland.
Thanks for the input Brynne! xT
Can I use no boil lasagna noodles instead?
That should work just fine! xT
Looks funky and delicious. Got all the ingredients.
Question… Do you think i can put it all together in my cast iron skillet and then wait until the next day to cook in the
Thank your amazing recipes.
Hi Laura! The noodles might get a little soggy, so sorry! xT
Hi! I am planning to make this for a gathering this weekend but just found out we have a veggie gal coming; any recommendations on subs to make this vegetarian? Xx – thanks for all the content you create!
Hi Camille! Maybe throwing in some zucchini would be yummy? xT
I don’t know if this is too late for you, but Impossible brand sausage is a really good substitute for vegetarians. I am going to be doing this myself for some guests.
Best thing I’ve ever made
I made this last night and it came out amazing! I accidentally forgot garlic and just used the whole huge butternut squash I got (I increased sausage links by one to add more flavor due to the increased squash) and it came out awesome! I added an extra 1/4 cup of water because of the extra squash as well. Loved it! Thank you!
Thank you so much for trying out the recipe! Have a great week! xT
I loved this so much. I used ground chicken instead of the sausage. Wish I made a larger batch ….thank you 🙂
Hey Krystal! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! xT
Another super tasty dish Tieghan, thanks! I didn’t add the proscuitto but put panko bread crumbs on top instead for a little crunch. Also added some spinach for some extra veg. Honestly so good!!
Loved this one! So easy (bought already cubed butternut squash and used pork Italian sausage as the store was out of the chicken sausage). Everyone, even the kids loved it. Served with crusty bread and pomegranate! Very fall!
Thank you so much for trying out the recipe! Have a great week! xT
I loved this so much, I actually made it twice this week! And another night made your short pasta with butternut squash, chicken and sun dried tomatoes:).
The second time around with this lasagna, I was out of shallots, used regular onion and also baked the prosciutto ahead of time in oven to crumble on top of lasagna. Yummy!
Just love every recipe of yours, Tieghan!! About to make your coconut chocolate chunk banana bread now and apple kale pomegranate salad for tomorrow:)
Would this skillet lasagna be freezeable?? Thank you!
Hey Bev! Aw thank you so so much! So glad you’re enjoying the recipes! Yes, this should freeze well! xT