Many years ago, I discovered a magical butternut squash sauce for pasta. It's a simple recipe that comes together quickly and is loved by all, its exceptional creamy texture evoking behamel, but with more flavor thanks to a hint of fresh sage.
Over the years, I've used the sauce in other ways, namely in this baked penne recipe, and most recently in lasagna in place of tomato sauce. It works beautifully and pairs well with many other flavors and ingredients from caramelized leeks and hot Italian sausage to wilted greens and sautéed mushrooms. Here, I'm using sautéed Swiss chard and oyster mushrooms, but this recipe is easily customizable to what you have on hand and prefer.
What I love about this recipe (and lasagna in general) is that you can assemble it ahead of time and bake it when you are ready. This past week, in anticipation of friends coming over for dinner on Friday, I made the lasagna on Thursday afternoon, covered the pan in foil, and stuck it in the fridge until the following evening, about an hour before dinner.
On Friday, our friends arrived as the lasagna was cooling, leaving me with lots of time to hold the 4-month-old baby (!!) in attendance. Never have I been more grateful for the existence of lasagna. Incidentally, this was a really simple, doable, stress-free, make ahead-able menu:
- lasagna (assembled on Thursday, baked on Friday)
- salad with apple cider vinaigrette (dressing made on Thursday)
- focaccia (prepped on Thursday, baked on Friday)
- French apple tart (made on Friday)
| Butternut Squash Lasagna |
PS: If you've been reading for awhile, you know about this other butternut squash lasagna recipe, the one that stole the show one snowy Thanksgiving in Vermont, a dish I make often around the holidays and throughout the winter. It calls for roasted cubes of butternut squash, a rosemary-and-sage infused bechamel, and a final layer of salted whipped cream, which imparts the baked lasagna with brown buttery notes. It is heaven. How does this one compare? Well, it's just different, a little lighter, more vegetal, delicious in its own way.
A Low-Stress, Make-Ahead Fall Entertaining Menu
Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Overnight, Refrigerator Focaccia = The Best Focaccia
French Apple Tart: Astonishingly easy ... promise!
PS:
- Buttery Soft (No-Boil 🎉) Pretzels
- Simple Sourdough Discard Crackers
- The Best Pumpkin Bread (One-Bowl)
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