Butternut Squash Lasagna Skillet (One Pan, 50 Minutes)

If you love lasagna but not the hour of boiling noodles, layering and baking, this skillet version is the answer. Everything happens in one pan on the stove: the ground beef browns, a quick butternut squash sauce comes together around it, and broken lasagna noodles simmer right in the sauce until tender. No pot of boiling water, no baking dish, and dinner is ready in about 50 minutes.

The sauce is what makes it a fall favorite. Instead of tomatoes, it uses smooth butternut squash purée loosened with chicken broth and a splash of milk, then seasoned with shallot, garlic, sage, thyme and a pinch of nutmeg. The result is creamy, a little sweet and deeply savory, with ruffled noodles in every bite and spinach for something green. A handful of parmesan and fresh basil at the end makes it feel like something from a restaurant.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil.
• 1 lb (450 g) lean ground beef, 90% lean – lean beef keeps the sauce from turning greasy.
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped, and 4 cloves garlic, minced.
• 1 tsp ground sage, 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves and 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg – the classic fall trio for squash.
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, optional, plus more for serving.
• 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper.
• 1 can (15 oz / 425 g) butternut squash purée, or about 1 3/4 cups homemade.
• 3 cups (720 ml) low-sodium chicken broth, plus extra as needed.
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) milk – any kind works; whole milk gives the creamiest sauce.
• 8 oz (225 g) lasagna noodles (about 10), broken into 2-inch pieces – regular noodles, not oven-ready.
• 3 packed cups (90 g) baby spinach.
• 1/2 cup (40 g) grated parmesan, plus more for serving, and a handful of fresh basil.

How to Make It

1. Brown the beef – medium-high, 6 to 8 minutes

Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the ground beef, break it up with a wooden spoon and cook until browned. It is done when no pink remains and the pieces have browned edges. Ground beef should reach 160°F (71°C). Spoon off any excess fat, leaving about a tablespoon in the pan.

2. Add the aromatics – medium, 3 minutes

Lower the heat, add the shallot and cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the garlic, sage, thyme, nutmeg, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cook until the shallot is soft and the spices smell fragrant, about 1 minute after adding the garlic.

3. Make the sauce – 3 minutes

Pour in the chicken broth to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in the butternut squash purée and milk until smooth and bring to a simmer. The sauce will look thin at this stage. That is what you want: the noodles need the liquid to cook.

4. Add the noodles – 2 minutes

Add the broken lasagna noodles and stir well, pushing them down so every piece is covered by the sauce. If any noodles stick out of the liquid, add a splash more broth.

5. Simmer covered – medium-low, 15 to 18 minutes

Cover and simmer, stirring every 4 to 5 minutes so the noodles don’t stick to the bottom. The noodles are ready when they are tender with a slight bite and the sauce has thickened and clings to them. If the pan looks dry before the noodles are done, add broth 1/4 cup at a time.

6. Finish with spinach and cheese – 2 minutes

Stir in the spinach and parmesan until the spinach wilts. Taste and adjust the salt. The sauce should be creamy and glossy, not runny. Let it stand for 5 minutes off the heat; it thickens more as it rests.

7. Serve

Top with fresh basil, extra parmesan and a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Why the Noodles Cook in the Sauce

Boiling pasta in a big pot of water washes away much of its surface starch. Cooking it directly in the sauce keeps that starch in the pan, where it thickens the liquid and helps the sauce cling to the noodles. That is why this skillet comes out creamy without any flour, butter or heavy cream.

The trade-off is that the liquid has to be just right. Dry lasagna noodles absorb a lot of liquid as they soften, so the sauce starts out thin and reduces as it cooks. Stirring every few minutes matters too. Lasagna noodles are wide and flat, and without stirring they tend to stack together and stick to the bottom of the pan.

Swap the Protein

Ground beef gives the classic lasagna feel, but the squash sauce works with almost any protein.

Cooking Ground Beef Safely

Because the beef is browned first and then simmered for another 20 minutes, it will be well cooked by the time the noodles are tender. Still, it is worth checking. The federal FoodSafety.gov temperature chart lists 160°F (71°C) as the safe minimum internal temperature for ground meat, and 165°F (74°C) for ground poultry, which is why the table above gives a different target for turkey or chicken. Color alone is not a reliable sign, so a quick check with an instant-read thermometer is the easiest way to be sure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use oven-ready lasagna noodles?

You can, but they cook much faster and turn soft quickly in a simmering sauce. Reduce the broth to 2 1/2 cups and start checking after 8 minutes.

Can I use fresh butternut squash?

Yes. Roast or steam about 1 1/2 lb (680 g) of peeled, cubed squash until very tender, then blend it until smooth. You need about 1 3/4 cups of purée.

How do I store and reheat leftovers?

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The noodles keep absorbing sauce in the fridge, so add a splash of broth or milk when you reheat it on the stove or in the microwave.

For more cozy pasta dinners, try the vodka sauce baked ziti, the steak mac and cheese or the parmesan spinach mushroom pasta skillet. If you have squash left over, make a pot of roasted butternut squash soup, and find more ideas among the dinner recipes.

Butternut Squash Lasagna Skillet

Butternut squash lasagna skillet with ground beef, broken lasagna noodles, spinach and parmesan in a creamy sage squash sauce. One pan, about 50 minutes.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Calories: 370

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb lean ground beef 90% lean, 450 g
• 1 large shallot finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp ground sage
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes optional
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 15 oz butternut squash purée 1 can (425 g) or about 1 3/4 cups homemade
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth 720 ml, plus extra as needed
• 1/2 cup milk 120 ml
• 8 oz lasagna noodles about 10 regular noodles, broken into 2-inch pieces
• 3 cups baby spinach packed, 90 g
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan 40 g, plus more for serving
• fresh basil for serving

Method

 

1. Heat the oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the ground beef, breaking it up, until no pink remains (160°F / 71°C). Spoon off excess fat.
2. Lower the heat to medium. Add the shallot and cook 2 minutes, then stir in the garlic, sage, thyme, nutmeg, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and cook 1 minute.
3. Add the broth, scraping up browned bits, then stir in the squash purée and milk and bring to a simmer.
4. Add the broken lasagna noodles and push them under the sauce.
5. Cover and simmer over medium-low for 15 to 18 minutes, stirring every 4 to 5 minutes, until the noodles are tender and the sauce has thickened. Add broth 1/4 cup at a time if it gets dry.
6. Stir in the spinach and parmesan until wilted. Rest 5 minutes off the heat.
7. Serve topped with basil, extra parmesan and red pepper flakes.

Notes

Noodles: use regular lasagna noodles. For oven-ready noodles, reduce the broth to 2 1/2 cups and start checking after 8 minutes.

Protein swaps: ground turkey or chicken (cook to 165°F / 74°C), Italian sausage (cut the salt in half), or 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils with vegetable broth for a vegetarian version.

Fresh squash: roast or steam about 1 1/2 lb peeled squash and blend until smooth.

Storage: refrigerate up to 3 days; add a splash of broth or milk when reheating.

Nutrition is an estimate based on standard ingredient values, not a laboratory analysis.