Home-Grown Heaven: Butternut Squash Lasagna

    The easiest way to ensure that you're able to get beautiful, fresh produce and stay within your grocery budget is to grow it yourself. If you don't have your own yard, many areas have "community plots" where you can rent a piece of land to grow your own food... or, if you're lucky, you may have a friend who does have a yard and is willing to let you plant on their land (in exchange for a share of your crop, of course) This year, we planted beans, snow peas, herbs (cilantro, basil, sage, parsley and mint), potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes, butternut squash, carrots and tons of peppers (pepperoncini, poblano, jalepeno and bell peppers). I'll share more recipes we've used for our veges and some ways to preserve them so you can eat them throughout the winter later.

    I was able to make some butternut squash lasagna this week with some squash from the farmer's market. The mixture of earthy sage, sweet butternut squash and rich ricotta is divine, and it's one of my favorite ways to use butternut squash (my other favorite is butternut squash ravioli- I'll make that next time :-) ). It's also relatively inexpensive and easy to make- it cost under $10 (not including the squash, which was free) and it could probably serve ~10-15 people. It's cheap to make even if you don't have squash growing at home. Although the recipe I used has chicken stock, you can easily make it vegetarian by substituting vegetable stock. As a meat eater, I prefer it with the chicken stock, but it's good both ways.

Butternut Squash Lasagna (adapted from Martha Stewart)

• -3 1/2 pounds of butternut squash (this will be approximately 1 large butternut squash or 2 small ones- I needed 2 to get the correct amount)
• -Extra-virgin olive oil
• -Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• -1 pound whole-milk ricotta cheese
• -1/2 cup heavy cream or milk
• -2 large egg yolks
• -1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, grated (2 c)
• -ground nutmeg
• -2 Tb unsalted butter
• -1/3- 1/2 c fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped
• -1 1/4 c chicken stock
• - 1 box of Lasagna Noodles, cooked
• - 1 1/4 c grated Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese mix (to sprinkle over the top)

-Start by preheating the oven to 425 F. 

-Peel and chop the butternut squash. I think the easiest way to do this is to cut it in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and cut each half again, just above the bulge at the bottom. Then, you can peel it with a sharp knife or potato peeler. Make sure you peel down to the bright orange flesh and that no green parts are left behind (these parts will be tough, even after cooking). Then, you can cut it up into chunks about 1" by 1".

-Toss the squash in olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper on a large baking sheet (or two if necessary). Try to spread it out into a single layer of chunks.

-Bake until it is golden brown and tender, about 25 minutes. 

-After the squash is done, reduce the oven temperature to 375 F.

-Mix the ricotta, mozzarella, egg yolks, cream and a pinch of nutmeg in a large bowl.

-Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, add the sage leaves. Fry them until they are golden and crisp, then remove from heat. 

-Place the cooked squash in a large bowl and smash about 1/2 of it with the back of a wooden spoon, then add the butter and sage mixture and the chicken stock. You may season the mixture with salt and pepper, but stock generally has a lot of salt, so I didn't add any additional salt. 

-Spread a thin layer of the ricotta mixture in the bottom of a 9x12 baking pan (I use glass). Then add a layer of pasta and then a layer of the butternut squash mixture. I generally spread it think to allow 3 layers of ricotta and 2 layers of butternut squash mixture. I end with the ricotta layer (don't put pasta on top of this one) and then sprinkle a mixture of about 1/2 mozzarella, 1/2 parmesan over the top.

-Bake the lasagna 30-35 minutes until the top is golden brown and the juices are bubbling. I let it stand at least 10 minutes before cutting to make it easier to remove pieces without them falling apart.

-Enjoy!