Recipe Background
Boo! Don't worry, there's nothing scary about The Ultimate Halloween Lasagna, except how scary delicious it tastes! Sweet, smooth, autumnal butternut squash is mixed into a herbaceous cream sauce and layered between tender lasagna noodles and savory sausage. A little sharp parmesan cheese and voila! You'll be admiring its festive orange color and creamy taste long after you've finished eating every last bite. The Ultimate Halloween Lasagna will haunt you as only something on Halloween can: by being fun and memorable!
Boo! Don't worry, there's nothing scary about The Ultimate Halloween Lasagna, except how scary delicious it tastes! Sweet, smooth, autumnal butternut squash is mixed into a herbaceous cream sauce and layered between tender lasagna noodles and savory sausage. A little sharp parmesan cheese and voila! You'll be admiring its festive orange color and creamy taste long after you've finished eating every last bite. The Ultimate Halloween Lasagna will haunt you as only something on Halloween can: by being fun and memorable!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 (1.5-pound) medium butternut squash halved lengthwise and seeded
- 3 tablespoons salted butter divided
- 8 ounces sweet Italian sausage casings removed
- 1 onion sliced
- 3 tablespoons fresh sage chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- black pepper to taste
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/4 cups parmesan cheese grated and divided
- 5 no-boil lasagna noodles
- 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese grated
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Brush the olive oil on the cut sides of the squash.
- Place the oil-coated squash cut-side down on a baking sheet.
- Roast the squash until it is soft and turning brown in some spots, about 35-40 minutes.
- Transfer the roasted squash from the oven and then carefully scoop out the flesh into a small bowl.
- Mash the squash flesh with a fork.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter.
- Add the sausage to the skillet and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked sausage to a medium bowl.
- Melt the remaining butter in the same pan, still over medium heat, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the onion, the sage, the salt, and the pepper to the melted butter and cook, occasionally stirring, until the onion is softened and caramelized, about 20-25 minutes.
- Add the tender onion mixture to the bowl with the cooked sausage.
- Add the heavy cream to the same pan and bring to a simmer, still over medium heat.
- Whisk the mashed squash into the cream and return the mixture to a simmer.
- Transfer the squash mixture from the heat and use an immersion blender to blend the sauce until very smooth.
- Return the squash puree to the saucepan over medium heat.
- Stir 1 cup of the parmesan into the squash puree until melted.
- In a 9x5-inch loaf pan, spoon 1/2 cup of the squash puree.
- Top with 1 of the lasagna noodles, 1/4 of the sausage mixture, 1/4 of the mozzarella, and another 1/2 cup of the squash puree.
- Repeat the layers 3 more times, ending by topping the lasagna with 1 of the lasagna noodles, the remaining squash puree, and the remaining parmesan.
- Bake, uncovered, until the noodles are soft and the cheese on top is bubbly and browned, about 20 minutes.
- Let the cooked lasagna rest for 20 minutes.
- Serve.
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