Butternut Squash Lasagna

When some people hear 'Butternut Squash Lasagna,' they might be reminded of squash-filled pillows of ravioli.  This delicious paleo dish uses the butternut squash in a completely different fashion: it is used as a replacement for the noodles.  The recipe comes from one of my favorite paleo recipe websites, Health-Bent.com.  Another bonus: it is free of the top 8 food allergens! The result is a flavorful, healthy, plate-licking dish that the whole family will love - even the children.

I first browned the sausage along with the onions and garlic.  This takes about 8-10 minutes until is fully cooked, and the onions are starting to brown.  The red onion adds some beautiful color.



While the sausage is cooking, I prepared the squash by peeling it first (a regular vegetable peeler works great) cutting off the bulbous end, slicing both sections in half, and removing the seeds.  I then used my mandolin to slice it into 1/8" slices.  You can really get away with using quite a small squash, as you will end up with many slices.


I then prepared the sauce in my Magic Bullet.  It really is so simple, with only 4 ingredients.


To assemble the lasagna, I first poured a layer of sauce to cover the bottom of the baking dish.  I topped that with a single layer of the squash, trying not to overlap the pieces.


That was topped with a generous layer of the sausage mixture, followed by another layer of sauce.  I then repeated the process until all of my sauce and sausage were used up, which ended up being 2 layers. 



After 45 minutes, the squash is tender and the lasagna is ready to serve.  If you let the lasagna sit for 30 minutes, it will solidify.  I obviously did not so this, as I had 4 hungry people and a picture to take! With this combination of flavors, you'll never miss the cheese!




Butternut Squash Lasagna


Ingredients
  • 1 lb Italian sausage, crumbled (I used 1/2 hot and 1/2 mild)
  • 1 red onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 15-oz can pizza sauce (make sure it contain no sugar)
  • 1/2 c roasted red peppers
  • 1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
  • couple leaves of basil
  • 1 small butternut squash
Cooking Directions
  1. Preheat your oven to 400ºF.
  2. In a saute pan brown the sausage, along with the onions & garlic. While that's going, cut the top and ends of the squash off and peel it. Split it into 1/4's (where the squash starts to turn bulbous, cut it in 1/2, width-wise. Split those two halves in half, lengthwise). This will make it much easier to cut into planks. Pull out the seeds. Slice the squash into 1/8" planks.
  3. Make the sauce by pureeing the pizza sauce, red peppers, olive oil and basil. (a blender works great)
  4. Using a 9x9-inch oven-safe baking dish, put down enough sauce to lightly cover the bottom of the dish. (This keeps the squash from sticking to the pan.) Next add the squash, trying not to overlap the pieces, then spoon on the sausage mixture, followed by the sauce. Repeat until all your ingredients are used up, trying to reserve enough sauce to cover the top of the lasagna.
  5. Bake for 45 minutes. You're looking for a bubbly pan with a crispy, browned top. Right out of the oven, the lasagna may by liquidy, let it set for a good half hour before cutting into it, as it will solidify.
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3 comments:

  1. We LOVE lasagna at our house and I can't wait to try this great recipe with butternut squash instead of noodles, very cool. Wondering if the squash gets mushy? Thanks for sharing on Natural Living Monday!

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  2. Your healthy lasagna is really amazing. Instead of the usual flat noodles you use a squash. Now, I can have an alternative to enjoy lasagna. Thanks for sharing!

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  3. Angie, what a super fantastic idea! I LOVE this. I totally get the 4 hungry people and a picture to take LOL
    Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! :)

    Thanks for linking back to the Gluten Free Fridays post!


    Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com

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