It’s hard to believe that Christmas is only two weeks away! I am very excited but at the same time I have not done anything too Christmasy yet…which is sort of a bummer. I don’t have much time, so I better do something to fix that! Last year, we had a huge cooking baking extravaganza with our friend, Lauren…that is also the same time we discovered the best chocolate cookie recipe in the world (which, by the way, I can’t wait to make again). I have a feeling that I’ll be in more of the Christmas mood once I start baking some cookies!
Today I have a fantastic recipe to share that I came across on How Sweet It Is. How Sweet It Is is a brilliant blog and she comes up with some of the best recipes. Every morning before I go to work I look forward to reading her post for the day. When I saw her recipe for Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Whole Wheat Lasagna, I knew that I had to make it. After she posted about her lasagna, she wrote a post on a recipe for Roasted Butternut Baked Penne. This recipe is essentially the same dish as this lasagna except minus the whole lasagna thing…. We actually ended up making that version of this dish back in November. We absolutely loved that so we couldn’t wait to try the lasagna!
This made for the perfect Sunday night dinner. I am so glad that we made this because while it is similar to her baked butternut squash penne, it is at the same time, very different. This dish definitely required more hands on time in comparison to the baked penne version. However, I definitely think that it was worth it. We loved everything about this lasagna. In fact, we loved it so much that Christina and I gobbled the whole thing up for dinner. The next time I make this, I will probably serve a simple salad along the side.
This is a very cheesy lasagna that truly has it all…brown butter, mascarpone, parmesan, mozzarella, sage, nutmeg, and shallots. If you are looking for that unique, flavorful, and filling pasta dish…you have found it.
Squash & Sweet Potato Whole Wheat Lasagna
makes one 8×8 dish.
serves 2-4 as an entree, and 4-6 as a side dish
Ingredients
- 9-12 whole wheat lasagna noodle sheets (preferably no-boil)
- 1/2 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about 2 cups cubed) [I used Kabocha Squash]
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 1 1/2 cups cubed)
- 12 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- a bunch of sage leaves
- olive oil for drizzling
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- For squash & potatoes: Lay cubed squash and potatoes on a baking sheet, and drizzle with a bit of olive oil (only about 1-2 teaspoons). Use your hands to coat the squash and potatoes with olive oil, then sprinkle with nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Roast for 50 minutes, tossing every 15 minutes or so. Remove from oven and let cool. Once cool, mash with a potato masher or fork. You can also used a hand mixer with beaters to “whip” them a bit more, but this isn’t necessary. The consistency is up to you. Just make sure it is spreadable.
- For mascarpone filling: Heat a skillet over medium heat and add butter. Add in shallots and garlic, and whisk every 30 seconds or so for 2-3 minutes. The butter should brown and the shallots and garlic should be fragrant. You don’t want the butter to burn – if it seems too hot, reduce the heat. If it does burn, you have to start over! Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
- In a bowl, combine mascarpone, 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, remaining salt and pepper, and the shallots, butter and garlic. Mix until somewhat smooth and spreadable.
- Layer lasagna: Spray an 8×8 pan with non-stick spray. Spread a little bit of the squash mixture on the pan, then lay 2-3 (depending on size/brand) noodles down. Spread half of the squash mixture evenly over top, then spread/crumble half of the mascarpone on top of that. Sprinkle half of the mozzarella and remaining parmesan on next, then repeat with one more set of noodles, squash, mascarpone, and cheese.
- Top the dish over with a bunch of sage leaves that will crisp up in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes, or until cheese on top is golden and bubbly.
I hope your week kicks off to a good start!
