Italian Sausage Butternut Squash Lasagna 

So my neighbor is super cool and grows a lot of her own vegetables in her backyard garden, and the other day she gave my husband and I a nice butternut squash. It just sat there…for a few weeks because I had no idea what to make with. (Thankfully they tend to last over a month). Then it hit me, butternut squash lasagna! Essentially you are simply replacing tomato based sauce with a butternut squash purée. If you are a fan of butternut squash or sweet and savory foods such as Mexican Molé or Musaka, then I think this is a dish for you! 

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash peeled and cubed (alternatively you can use precut and packaged butternut squash)
• 8-10 oz ricotta cheese 
• 1/4 cup fresh minced Parsley 
• Parmesan Romano cheese blend
• Italian style shredded mozzarella 
• 2 T Olive oil 
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• Salt
• Pepper 
• Onion powder 
• Garlic powder 
• Smoked paprika 
• 2 T Beef bouillon powder 
• Italian sausage 
• Onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1-2 cups of water

Additional Items:

• 2 skillets 
• Oven safe casserole dish 
• Foil
• Immersion Blender or regular blender 

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees 

• Boil water for lasagna noodles- follow box directions 

• Prepare your ricotta filling: 

In a bowl place ricotta cheese, lemon juice, minced parsley, salt, pepper, and Parmesan Romano cheese blend – mix well and set aside 

• Sauté your onion, garlic and butternut squash pieces with olive and seasoning until fragrant and onions begin to brown

• Add water, bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer 

• Using an immersion blender like this one mix all veggies once they are soft and tender (or place in a regular blender)

• In a separate pan brown Italian pork sausage 

• Combine sausage and butternut squash mixture (this is where you taste test and make any seasoning adjustments where needed. If it’s too sweet for your liking you can add a 1/2 cup of water mixed with 1 teaspoon of bouillon powder) 

• Begin assembling your lasagna! Layering by noodles, ricotta mixture, shredded mozzarella, butternut squash filling, and repeat.

• Top off your final layer of lasagna with more mozzarella and parsley 

• Cover with foil and place in the oven for 30-40 minutes 

• Uncover, and bake an additional 10 minutes or until cheese begins to bubble and brown (or you can put it on low broil for 1-2 minutes, but watch it like a hawk so it doesn’t burn!) 

And there you have it! Yummy sweet and savory butternut squash lasagna to enjoy and share, if you’re in that type of mood! 

Want more recipes by Daj? Check out our crowd pleasing spaghetti or chopped Asian salad, and never miss a post by leaving your name and email below!