Skillet Butternut Squash Lasagna with Turkey

5 from 19 votes

Skillet Butternut Squash Lasagna with Turkey

If I was to assign fall an official dinner, it would likely be THIS butternut squash lasagna. Hearty from ground turkey with the magical flavor combo of sage, thyme, and a whole bunch of butternut squash deliciously tucked into an easy-peasy skillet lasagna. And, of course, there is cheese (but no tomatoes!) to create the ultimate cozy fall dinner.

Prep Time15

Cook Time32

Total Time47

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: butternut squash lasagna

Servings: servings

Calories: 489kcal

Author: Taesha Butler

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 pound peeled butternut squash cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 3 cups diced). *See notes section if you want to use frozen
1 medium onion finely chopped,
1½ teaspoon kosher salt divided
1 pound ground turkey
3 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ pound lasagna noodles about 8 sheets, broken into small pieces. To make gluten-free, I like to use Jovial Foods Gluten Free Lasagna Noodles
1 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups milk any kind
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese divided
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ cup ricotta cheese optional, but yum!
Fresh parsley or sage leaves, for garnish optional

Instructions

Heat the oil in a high-sided, large skillet over medium. Add the butternut squash and cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash is golden brown and starting to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.
Stir in the onion and season with ½ teaspoon salt and cook until the onion is softened, another 2 to 3 minutes.
Push the veggies to one side of the skillet and add the ground turkey. Using a spoon or meat chopper, break the meat up into crumbles until the turkey is cooked through. About 7 minutes. Once the turkey is mostly cooked through, stir it in with the onions and butternut squash. The turkey will finish cooking with the rest of the ingredients.
Add in garlic, thyme, sage, remaining salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute or until garlic is fragrant.
Stir in the broken lasagna noodles then add the broth and milk, making sure the noodles are just covered with the liquid.
Simmer, stirring every few minutes, until the noodles are cooked through, about 15 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.
Add the ¾ mozzarella and the parmesan cheese, stirring everything together until fully melted.
Dollop the ricotta over the top, if using, then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella. Cover the top of the pan to melt the cheese or place under the broiler until the cheese is bubbling and brown.
Garnish with herbs, if desired, then serve.

Notes

To break the noodles, I like to roll them in a clean kitchen towel and crush into pieces in the towel. That way, the noodles don’t shoot everywhere, and you can transfer them right to the pan.
I personally think dark meat ground turkey works best in this recipe, but you can use ground chicken or beef too.
To make this vegetarian, omit the ground meat and continue with the recipe as written. You can add more squash or other vegetables such as chopped mushrooms or spinach.
If you want to use frozen butternut squash. We tested this lazy lasagna with frozen for extra ease and it does work! However, since frozen butternut squash is parboiled, we found adding it *after* the turkey was cooked vs. before was ideal for texture.

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