I had numerous kitchen related problems this weekend.  First, our fridge decided to die Thursday night without warning.  Luckily we were able to get a good deal on a new one Saturday, but in the meantime everything in the fridge and freezer had come to room temperature and had to be thrown out.  I felt horrible throwing away so much food! But, on the bright side, our new fridge is awesome.  So much prettier and so much more efficient and roomy that the old one. I will post a picture soon! Then, I went to Trader Joe’s Saturday evening to stock up on food to fill the new fridge with. I bought A LOT of food. It wasn’t until this morning that I realized I left a full bag of groceries at the store.  For anyone who has been to Trader Joe’s you know they stuff those bags record-brekingly full, so one bag of groceries is a lot! Thankfully, they were very nice and gave me all the food I left behind when I brought in my receipt. Oh and then I tried to make a delicious new pancake recipe and half way through realized I never bought eggs. Pancakes without eggs in them are not very good. I am losing my mind. Or maybe I need to stop drinking Margaritas in the middle of the day before going grocery shopping. No, that’s a terrible idea. But making this lasagna is an excellent idea. Do it. You won’t be sorry.

Ingredients:

  • 6 – 9 lasagna noodle sheets
  • 1/2 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about 2 cups)
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 8 – 12 ounces mascarpone cheese (whatever size container you can find), at room temperature
  • 2 TB unsalted butter
  • 1 shallot, thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided
  • 3/4 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • a bunch of sage leaves
  • Olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat the Oven to 350 degreea

2. Prepare the lasagna noodles according to the package instructions.  If using no boil, I recommend boiling them for 1-2 minutes than rinsing and laying on paper towels to dry, otherwise they won’t fully cook in the oven.

3. Lay the cubed squash and sweet potatoes on a baking sheet, and drizzle with a bit of olive oil (about 1-2 teaspoons). Sprinkle with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Toss with your hands to evenly coat. Roast in the oven for 50 minutes, tossing about every 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool.

4. While the squash is cooling, heat a skillet over medium heat and add the butter. Add in the shallots and garlic, and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes until the shallots and garlic are fragrant. Be careful not to burn the butter. Remove from heat and let cool for about 10 minutes.

5. Mash the cooled butternut squash/sweet potato mixture with a potato masher or fork. If you like, whip briefly with a hand mixer to get a smoother texture.

6. In a medium bowl, combine the mascarpone cheese, 3/4 cup of the parmesan cheese,  salt and pepper, and the cooled shallots, butter and garlic mixture. Mix until smooth and spreadable.

7. Spray an 8×8 pan with non-stick spray, then lay 2-3 (depending on size) noodles down. Spread half of the squash mixture evenly over top, then spread half of the mascarpone on top of that. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of mozzarella and 1/2 of the remaining parmesan on next, then repeat with another set of noodles, squash, mascarpone, and cheese. Place one last set of noodles on top and sprinkle with the rest of the parmesan and mozzarella.

8.Place a bunch of sage leaves evenly over the top. The sage will crisp up in the oven.

9. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the cheese on top is golden and bubbly. This dish will serve 2-4 as an entree, and 4-6 as a side dish.

ENJOY!

Source: Adapted from How Sweet It Is