Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Butternut and Sausage Lasagne


I've been trying some new recipes lately and haven't really had any bombs, which is unusual for me. Some recipes I've tried in the past month are Alphabet & Beef Soup, Mushroom Risotto, Sticky Coconut Chicken, Red Lentil & Kale Soup, and this one: Butternut and Sausage Lasagne. I loved it so much, that I had to take some time to post it up.

I got it from one of my mommy allies (thank you Traci!), and made a few minor adjustments. She mentioned that it was from Rachael Ray, but this is the closest I found from RR, which actually is kind of different. Maybe I will have to try that one next time. I think adding another veggie to bulk it up would be nice too...maybe mushrooms or spinach?

I bought the noodles from Trader Joes, as well as the Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage. And no mozzarella or ricotta makes this much cheaper to make than regular lasagne. It was rich, but not heavy. Subtle unique flavors, but not bland! The creamy sauce will fool your toddlers (and husbands) that it is made from cheese instead of nutrient-rich winter squash. If you have some time to make and freeze it this week, it would be a great to serve any holiday crashers you have coming for Turkey Day weekend.

Butternut and Sausage Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash, halved and seeded
EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for liberal drizzling
Salt and pepper
Freshy grated nutmeg
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausage
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups whole milk
10-12 leaves fresh sage, very thinly sliced
1 box no boil, flat edged lasagna sheets
1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Drizzle squash with a little EVOO and season with salt, pepper and a little freshly grated nutmeg. Roast cut-side down until tender, about 40 minutes. Let cool enough to handle, then scoop flesh out of skin and add to food processor. Puree squash with stock and honey, in 2 batches if necessary, and reserve.
Heat a drizzle of EVOO in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and brown the sausage, crumbling it into very small bits as it cooks, about 7-8 minutes.
While the sausage cooks, heat a pot over medium heat. Add butter and melt, whisk in flour, cook 1 minute then whisk in milk. Season with salt, pepper, a little freshly grated nutmeg and the sage. Cook until thickened, about 7-8 minutes, whisking occasionally. Mix in the squash puree to make your base sauce.
Spread a little sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish then add a layer of pasta. Top with 1/3 of the cooked sausage and cover with sauce and Parmigiano. Cover with another layer of pasta, sausage, sauce and Parmigiano. Repeat one more time, and for the last layer do pasta, sauce and remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake lasagna 30 minutes. Uncover and cook 15 minutes or more to brown the top.

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