Butternut Squash & Sage Lasagna

So the butternut squash and sage lasagna…This is a recipe from my Aunt Donnie, there are TONS of websites that have variations, however, we haven’t tempted fate by making any others, this is was a huge hit with us and my dinner guests loved it! Without further ado…

Preheat your oven to 350. While that’s heating up get the squash ready. I used three butternut squash, about 6 lbs, and had a little leftover as a snack, so you could probably use 4-5 lbs. I cut them in half, put olive oil on the cut half and then put them face down in a jellyroll pan. When the oven was at the right temperature I put them in.










Next I put the water on to boil the lasagna noodles, drain them and then lay them flat. I put a little olive oil in the water so they don’t stick and then lay them out on waxed paper, you can set them on a clean counter as well.










By the time you’ve got your noodles ready the squash is done (approx. 45 mins). Let the squash cool enough so you can handle it. Then scoop out the squash and put it in a blender in small batches. I added a little heavy cream to each batch to smooth it out. You want the squash to be a paste consistency, not too wet!

When you’ve got the squash paste finished, you’re going to make the sauce that goes on the bottom layer and each layer in between. Melt a stick of butter and add a little olive oil. When that’s heated start adding the sage leaves. I had one pack of sage and could have used another, so plan ahead! You want to make sure the leaves have browned and look fizzles, that's how you'll know they're done.










Alright, the assembly…
Coat the bottom of the dish with the butter sage sauce, then put your first layer of noodles in. I used a layer of mozzarella cheese, a little sauce then noodles. The next layer was butternut squash, a little sauce then noodles. Next layer was ricotta cheese, a little sauce, and then more noodles; I did one more layer of butternut squash on top and then topped it with a dash of mozzarella and a fresh grating of Romano cheese. (I didn’t cover mine with aluminum foil, but you can if you don’t want it to brown.) Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.










When its done baking take it out and let it sit for a few minutes before you cut it so the cheese can re-congeal and you can serve good looking pieces!

While this was baking I made the salad, mixed greens, walnuts, craisins and mandarin oranges. All in all a huge hit! Let me know if you try it and how your friends and family like it!