A comforting vegetarian lasagna layered with tomato-lentil ragu, creamy béchamel, and a golden crown of roasted butternut squash petals. This cozy dish is as beautiful as it is delicious — perfect for a special dinner or a hearty meal prep.
- 🍽 Serves: 4
- ⏱ Prep & Cook Time: ~1 hour
- 🌱 Type: Vegetarian (easily plant-based with dairy-free butter & cheese)
🛒 Ingredients
🥣 Vegetables
- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and divided:
- Top (seedless) part sliced into 1–2 cm thick rounds (petals)
- Bottom (seeded) part diced into small cubes
- (Optional) 1–2 carrots, diced (for extra volume)
🔥 For the Roasted Petals
- Butternut squash petal slices
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
🍅 For the Filling
- Butternut squash cubes
- ~200ml water
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 540g cooked brown lentils (or vegetarian mince / soya chunks)
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 can (300–400g) tomato sauce
🥛 For the Béchamel
- 60g butter
- 60g all-purpose flour
- 600ml milk of choice (I used unsweetened almond milk)
- Salt
- 1 heaped tsp ground nutmeg
🧀 Assembly
- 6 lasagna sheets
- Grated Parmesan cheese (or a plant-based alternative)
👩🍳 Instructions
1. Prepare the Butternut Squash
- Peel the squash using a vegetable peeler.
- Slice the top half into 1–2 cm petals.
- Dice the seeded bottom half into small cubes for the filling.
2. Roast the Petals
- Toss the squash petals with olive oil, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper.
- Lay them flat on a baking tray in a single layer.
- Roast at 200°C (390°F) for 10–12 minutes until slightly golden. Set aside.
3. Make the Filling
- In a large pan, simmer the squash cubes (and carrots, if using) with ~200ml water and the vegetable stock cube until the water evaporates and the vegetables are tender.
- Stir in the lentils or vegetarian mince.
- Add garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Pour in the tomato sauce, cover, and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.
4. Cook the Béchamel
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Stir in the flour to form a roux and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Slowly whisk in the milk of your choice — I used almond milk for a lighter, slightly nutty flavor.
- Stir until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
- Season with salt and nutmeg. Set aside.
5. Assemble the Lasagna
- Spread a thin layer of béchamel on the bottom of your baking dish.
- Lay 2 lasagna sheets side-by-side.
- Add a generous layer of the lentil-squash filling, then a light layer of béchamel.
- Repeat this layering twice more (3 layers total).
- Finish with the remaining béchamel on top.
6. Top & Bake
- Arrange the roasted squash petals over the top — no pasta sheet on this layer.
- Bake at 200°C (390°F) for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, sprinkle with grated Parmesan, and bake for another 10 minutes until golden and bubbling.
✨ Done!
Let your lasagna rest for 5–10 minutes before slicing and serving — it’ll hold together beautifully and taste even better.
Are you gonna try it? 😋
The Secret Street 
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