Butternut Squash Lasagna with Sage

I found this recipe one winter because I was looking for a healthier version of lasagna–one that incorporated vegetables successfully. Though I had to learn how to prepare a butternut squash for the first time, the final product tasted so amazing that I have made this a repeat recipe in our kitchen.

This recipe is best done in stages. I learned that the hard way. Try to do the first few directions in the early morning or afternoon. That way, at dinner time, you don’t have more to do than you can handle.

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Butternut Squash Lasagna with Sage

Course Dinner

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings

Author Bonnie Hershey

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 pounds butternut squash peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks See "How To Prepare Butternut Squash" here.
• 2 TBL extra virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
• 1 pound low-fat ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 Cups fresh mozzarella cheese grated
• Ground nutmeg
• 2 TBL unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves coarsely chopped
• 1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 pound whole wheat lasagna noodles
• 4 ounces finely grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Prepare the squash and cheese filling. Prep time: About 1 hour. (Do this earlier in the day!)
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Peel and seed the squash. Cut into 1-inch, bite size chunks.
• Toss the pieces in a bowl with olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and some pepper. Spread out the pieces on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake 25-30 minutes.
• While squash is baking, combine ricotta, cream, yolks, mozzarella and a pinch of nutmeg in a medium bowl. Season with salt. Cover and set aside in fridge.
• Remove squash from oven. Let cool on pan.
• Place squash in a medium bowl. Using the back of a large spoon, mash up most of the pieces, leaving a few large ones.
• Melt the butter in a small sauté pan over medium-high heat. As soon as butter is sizzling, add the sage and cook 3-4 minutes.
• Add sage mixture to squash along with chicken stock. Mix well. Cover and set aside in fridge.
• Cook noodles and assemble lasagna. Prep time: About 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Cook lasagna noodles 1 minute less than what the package says.
• In a 9-cup (or similar) baking dish, spread 3/4 cup ricotta mixture on bottom. Top with a layer of noodles. Spread 1/2 of the butternut squash mixture over noodles. Top with a layer of noodles. Spread 1 cup ricotta mixture over noodles and repeat once more (noodles, squash, noodles, ricotta).
• Sprinkle parmesan over top and bake for 30-35 minutes.
• Let stand a few minutes before serving.