Today I am revisiting a recipe from last year. This was the one I was so excited about that I made it 3 times in one month, which I wouldn't recommend because it took a whole year to get to the point where I wanted it again. And now that I've had it for dinner and leftovers, I am anxious to make it again.....but I really don't want to burn out again, so I will wait. But seriously, this is good. Really good. This time I made a few changes - I added a layer of spinach and also grated some onion into the bechamel. I just love the sweet roasted squash mixed with the savory browned sausage and veggies. If you have the time, make this! I made the butternut puree and browned the sausage the night before to cut down on my time in the kitchen during the day, when elusive crawling baby tends to get out of eyesight and chews on shoes or video game cords.
Butternut and Sausage Lasagna
Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash, halved and seeded
EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling
Salt and pepper
Freshy grated nutmeg
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
4 tablespoons butter
2 T. grated onion
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
1 cup other sauteed veggies (spinach, mushrooms, eggplant, etc.)
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375ºF.
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 brown sugar, 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 grated onion until melty and fragrant. 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.
Spread about 1/3 white sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish then add a layer of pasta. Top with the cooked sausage and cover with 1/2 of the butternut puree and some Parmigiano. Cover with another layer of pasta, butternut sauce, other veggie of choice and Parmigiano. Add the last layer of pasta, remaining white sauce and more Parm cheese. Cover with foil and bake lasagna about 30 minutes. Uncover and cook 15 minutes or more to brown the top.
And now I want to give a product shout out of the day. This is a picture of Trader Joe's Pumpkin Bread and Muffin Mix (I threw the box away before thinking about taking a picture of it, but you can find it in huge quantities right next to the other bread and muffin mixes). It was so easy to make - just add eggs, oil and water. Y U M. Just yum.
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