Ok…I know it’s December 1, but I can’t shake my love for Fall flavors like butternut squash. If you loved the flavors in the HIH Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce you’re going to want to pay attention to this recipe! Oops, I did it again….Fall flavors + Italian. Butternut Squash Lasagna with Sage Sausage. It’s cheesy and meaty and very hearty…everything a great lasagna should be, but with a delectable flavor mashup.
Can you believe I’ve NEVER made lasagna? I love lasagna so it’s somewhat strange to me that I’ve never attempted to make my own. I guess growing up on the convenience Stouffer’s lasagna was good enough for me! That said, when I created this butternut squash lasagna recipe, I was going in a bit blind! So blind, I didn’t even know that oven ready/no boil lasagna noodles were even a thing! They are, and they work FANTASTICALLY in this recipe. What a time saver!
I wanted to find another way to use the HIH Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce, and boy did I! The flavors of the sauce are woven into the butternut squash lasagna. Goat cheese pairs perfectly with traditional ricotta to keep that creaminess in the layers. Sage breakfast sausage adds even more sagey meaty goodness to the lasagna. If you wanted to keep this vegetarian, you could certainly leave this ingredient out and still have a delightful dish!
Homemade HIH vs. Store Bought Sauce
While I built this recipe around the HIH sauce, I completely understand that not everyone is looking to spend the time to make a sauce from scratch! Is it worth it, yes! Is it worth it to NOT make this recipe because you don’t have time to make the sauce from scratch? NO! There are many jarred butternut squash pasta sauces out there. My favorite, and the only sauce I’ve actually tested in this recipe, is the Target Good and Gather brand. Two jars, thinned out with water so it’s easily ladled into the layers is exactly the shortcut I was looking for! Everyone will think you slaved all day. No one has to know it’s semi-homemade.
Keys to Success
- Don’t over sauce the layers. While you don’t want to have any part of the no bake noodles to NOT be covered in sauce. I like to spread each ladle of sauce out vs. ladling 2-3 ladles and then distributing the sauce. That way I just JUST the amount I need on each layer and I leave plenty to pour over the top of the lasagna to ensure the top noodles are just as soft as the bottom.
- Gently press each noodle layer down. Right before topping each layer with sauce, press down gently on the noodles to even out the layers and help spread the ricotta/goat cheese mixture. You want your lasagna to be compact and sturdy so it holds it’s shape.
- If you love an extra meaty lasagna….use 2lbs of sausage!
- Spray the aluminum foil with non-stick spray. The lasagna will puff up slightly while baking, if you give the down side of the foil a spritz of non-stick spray, you’ll have a much easier time uncovering your lasagna without the top layer sticking to the foil.
Butternut Squash Lasagna with Sage Sausage
Equipment
- 1 13"x9" baking dish
- 3 mixing bowls for lasagna layer ingredients
- 1 large skillet to brown sausage
- 1 ladle about 1/2 – 3/4 cup ladle
- 1 Whisk for ricotta/goat cheese mixture
- 2 spoons for ricotta/goat cheese mixture
- 1 minimum 6 cup container with pour spout for butternut squash sauce
Ingredients
- 10-12 oven ready lasagna noodles
- 5 cups butternut squash pasta sauce see blog post for notes and sauce suggestions
- 5 cups shredded mozzarella
- 1 lbs sage breakfast sausage mild or hot Italian sausage also works great.
- 1¼ cup whole milk ricotta cheese approximately 1 15oz container
- 10 oz goat cheese
Instructions
- Ready your 5 cups of butternut squash pasta sauce in a container with a pour spout. Set aside with a ladle. See notes.
- Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Once the skillet is hot, brown the sausage and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, add the ricotta cheese and goat cheese. Using a whisk combine the two until creamy.
- Spray a 13"x9" baking dish generously with non-stick spray.
- Ladle just enough butternut squash sauce into the bottom of the pan to cover in a thin layer followed by lasagna noodles. I use 3 1/2 noodles/layer. Depending on your pan 4 may work better.
- Evenly ladle about 1 generous cup of butternut squash sauce over the lasagna noodles followed by 1/3 of the cooked sausage. Drop rough tablespoons of the goat cheese/ricotta mixture evenly over the top. Sprinkle with about 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Finish the layer with 3-4 lasagna noodles.
- Repeat the above step 2 more times.
- Pour the remaining butternut squash sauce evenly over the top of the lasagna Cover with foil and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
- When it's time to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Bake the lasagna covered with foil for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, remove the foil, top with the remaining mozzarella cheese, and cook for another 15 minutes until the top is golden brown. For an extra brown, crispy top broil on high for a few minutes until the desired color and texture is achieved.
- Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting into 8 servings.
- Cooked lasagna can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
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