The cold weather finally made an appearance here in WV and I’m sort of okay with it. I wish it had been colder for Christmas, but we had an amazing New Years trip to Canaan Valley and stayed in a cabin with some friends and the temps dropped low enough that a few of them could do some skiing. I’m not much for skiing (aka being on my backside all day) so we visited Blackwater Falls instead. It was absolutely gorgeous in the winter. I’d been there before in the fall during our cabin weekend for my bachelorette, but it was Ben’s first time out that way and he loved it!
Annie was a bit of a hot mess all weekend, having an accident (or two), eating a green crayon and trying to snag my friends sandwich right off the table. She’s still learning her manners, I have a feeling she’ll get better with time. And if not, at least she gives us some laughs!
Now, on to the food portion of this post. I received a Ninja Blender as a wedding gift (thank you, Casey!!) and I am just in love with it. I’ve started making more sauces and will soon start trying some soups. So far, I’ve made this butternut squash sauce twice and I am addicted. You roast the squash and then add it to the blender with some cream and chicken broth and whir it up until it’s a creamy, amazing, golden sauce. I love it in this lasagna recipe!
Butternut Squash Lasagna Recipe
9 to 12 lasagna noodles – cooked
3 cups (or so) butternut squash sauce – recipe below
1 lb. mild Italian sausage
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh sage
15 oz. Ricotta
1 egg
1 cup Parmesan cheese – divided
Salt
Pepper
Butternut Squash Sauce Ingredients
1 butternut squash – peeled and cubed
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion – roughly chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup cream
2 garlic cloves
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt – taste and add more as needed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper – taste and add more as needed
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Pre-heat your oven to 400-degrees. Place your squash and onion on a baking dish in a single layer.
Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Roast for 20 to 30 minutes until you can easily slide a fork through a chunk of squash. Set aside to cool. Reduce the heat on your oven to 350-degrees. Once the squash and onions have cooled, dump them into the blender.
Add your chicken broth, garlic cloves, spices, and cream and blend until you have a smooth sauce. Depending on the size of your butternut squash, you may need to use 1/2 to 1 cup more chicken broth. If I ever need to add more, I try to keep it even amounts of cream and chicken broth to keep the consistency where I want it. You want it to be a nice pour-able sauce. Think about sauces in the grocery aisle that you may sometimes use for pasta, that’s what you’re going for.
Once your sauce is set, you’ll want to make the filling by mixing together your ricotta, sage, egg, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.
To start assembling, pour about 1/4 cup of the sauce in the bottom of your baking dish.
Layer 3-4 noodles in a single layer, then use 1/3 of your ricotta mixture to cover the pasta. Sprinkle on 1/3 of your sausage.
And then 1/3 of your butternut squash sauce.
You’ll end with a layer of the sauce and then sprinkle it with the final 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.
Bake at 350-degrees for about 40-50 minutes, until everything is bubbly and hot and the top starts to get a little brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting so everything is set and you can cut nice squares to serve.
Stay warm out there and let me know if you have any other lasagna recipes I should try so I can keep my refrigerator stocked with leftovers :)
