This is a longtime Winter favorite of mine. It’s delicious, hearty, and comforting. It does take some work to make, but it’s totally worth it! Use my Italian Sausage (I keep it on hand in the freezer) to speed things up a little. It really is the perfect Winter weekend meal!
Start by chopping the kale and dicing the butternut squash (or save yourself some time and buy pre-cut butternut squash). Place the butternut squash in a baking dish, cover with plastic wrap, pierce the plastic wrap a few times, and microwave for 5 minutes.
Once the squash is cooked, add it and the kale to a large bowl. Wipe the dish that you cooked the squash in dry. Next, brown the sausage (if you had pre-cooked sausage in the freezer, just make sure it is fully thawed).
While the sausage is browning, you can make the sauce. Start by heating the oil in a saucepan and cooking the garlic for about 1 minute. Combine the flour and 1/2 cup of milk in a bowl and whisk, then add the milk mixture to the pan with the garlic. Whisk in the remaining milk and bring to a boil over medium high heat, whisking frequently. Once the sauce has thickened, remove from the heat and stir in 1 ounce of the Gruyere cheese and the parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.
Spray the baking dish with cooking spray and spread 1/3 cup of the cheese sauce over the bottom of the dish.
On top of the cheese sauce, layer 2 no boil noodles. Top with half of the veggie mixture and 1/2 of the sausage. Then pour on 2/3 cup of the remaining cheese sauce.
Add 2 more no boil noodles, the remaining veggie mixture and sausage, and another 2/3 cup cheese sauce. Top with the remaining 2 no boil noodles, then the remaining cheese sauce.
Cover with foil and bake at 450 for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and sprinkle with the remaining Gruyere cheese and pecans (don’t skip the pecans – trust me on this one!). Bake uncovered for 10 more minutes.
Butternut Squash, Sausage, and Kale Lasagna
Ingredients
6 no boil lasagna noodles
1/4 cup water
1 12-ounce package prechopped butternut squash
3 cups chopped kale
1 lb cooked Italian sausage
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
1/4 cup flour
2 3/4 cup milk, divided
2 ounces shredded Gruyere cheese, divided
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
cooking spray
3 Tbsp chopped pecans
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the butternut squash in an 8×8 baking dish. Pour in the water, cover with plastic wrap, and pierce the plastic wrap 3 times to vent. Microwave for 5 minutes or until the butternut squash is tender, then drain. Place the chopped kale in a large bowl and add the butternut squash. Wipe out the 8×8 baking dish, spray with cooking spray, and set aside.
While the butternut squash is cooking, brown the Italian sausage in a skillet (if you are using precooked Italian sausage, just make sure it is fully thawed).
Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute. In a bowl, whisk together the flour and 1/2 cup of the milk, then add to the saucepan with the garlic. Whisk in the remaining milk and continue whisking until smooth. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking frequently, until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 ounce of gruyere cheese, the parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Continue stirring until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
Pour 1/3 cup of the cheese sauce into the bottom of the 8×8 baking dish. Spread evenly over the bottom of the dish. Layer 2 no boil noodles on top of the sauce. Then layer half of the veggie mixture. Then layer half of the sausage. Top with 2/3 cup of the cheese sauce. Then layer 2 no boil noodles, then the remaining half of the veggie mixture, then the remaining half of the Italian Sausage. Top with 2/3 cup of the cheese sauce, then 2 more no boil noodles. Pour the remaining cheese sauce over the top of the last layer of noodles. Cover with foil and bake at 450 for 15 minutes.
Remove the foil and sprinkle with chopped pecans and remaining Gruyere. Return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes, until bubbly.