Butternut Squash and Kale Lasagna

4

Lasagna is a favorite with my family. Even more well received than Pastitsio! The butternut squash, pasta and kale ricotta come together harmoniously and deliciously.

The butternut squash sauce is truly simple to make. You can peel, dice and boil your squash but the simpler way to do it is to halve it and roast it. It may take a tad bit longer but roasted has far more flavor.

When preparing the kale, definitely remove the hard stem from each leaf. Toss the leaves in a deep pan and just heat them up for 2 minutes or until they wilt down. Get them on a cutting board and pat them dry as can be. Lastly, chop them up. The kale can also be subbed for fresh spinach.

The perfect herb to add to any butternut squash dish is sage. They pair beautifully. Just adding a few leaves to the top of the dish and you will get the flavor and aromatics going. You can also finely chop them up and add them to the ricotta mixture if you want a stronger sage situation.

Butternut Squash and Kale Lasagna

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4.50 from 2 votes

Servings: 6

Total Time: 2 hours hrs

Ingredients 

Sauce:

• 1.5 tbs olive oil (divided)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1.5 lbs butternut squash
• 1 shallot, fine chop
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup warmed water
• 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Ricotta Mixture:

• 10 oz fresh kale
• 15 oz ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste

Assembly:

• 12 lasagna noodles* (oven ready)
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh sage

Instructions

Butternut Squash Sauce:

• Preheat your oven to 375° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice your squash in half lengthwise, remove seeds and pulp. Coat the cut sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast, cut side down, for 35-40 minutes, or until really tender.
• In a non stick pan, heat 1 tbs olive oil and sauté your shallot on medium low for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Transfer the butternut squash flesh into the pan and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour in a little at a time of the warmed water, to achieve your desired sauce consistency. Lastly, stir in the shredded Parmesan cheese and remove from heat.

Ricotta Mixture:

• Remove the stem part of your kale leaves. Add them to a pan and heat for a few minutes until they just start to wilt. Transfer to a cutting board and pat them dry. Chop them up.
• In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, chopped kale, grated parmesan, egg, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.

Assembly:

• Preheat your oven to 375° F.
• Spread 1/3 of the sauce on the bottom of a 9×13" baking dish. Arrange three noodles to form a single layer over the sauce. Top the noodles with HALF of the ricotta mixture and spread out covering the noodles. Add another 1/3 sauce on top and spread that out. Top with some shredded mozzarella.
• Arrange another layer of noodles, spread the remaining half of ricotta mixture and sprinkle with mozzarella shreds.
• Lastly, arrange the final layer of noodles and transfer the remaining 1/3 butternut squash sauce and spread out. Sprinkle the remaining shredded mozzarella. Top with your sage leaves and bake for 30 minutes covered and 15 minutes uncovered. Allow to cool 15 minutes prior to slicing.

Notes

I use Del Cecco lasagna noodles. They are raw/uncooked when I assemble the lasgana and place them in the oven. IMPORTANT: make sure every inch of the noodles are covered or touching sauce and they undoubtedly cook in the oven every time.

Nutrition

Calories: 619kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 553mg | Potassium: 903mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 17491IU | Vitamin C: 81mg | Calcium: 648mg | Iron: 3mg

Author: Stella Drivas