Italian Butternut Squash Lasagna, Life in canada

Impress your family with a flavorful Butternut Squash Lasagna with rich bolognese sauce and versatile ingredients.

It’s that time of year when pumpkins and squash are at every farm, grocery store, and roadside garden stand.

Most people call it pumpkin season, but to Canadians, it’s Autumn, when the oven gets turned back on after a hot summer.

What Is Butternut Squash?

Like me, you might be shocked that butternut squash isn’t what you thought it was.

Butternut squash is a winter squash — a vegetable with a hard outer skin and sweet, dense orange flesh inside.

Most squash can be intimidating because of the odd shapes and colours, but don’t let that stop you.

It has a bell-like shape (thicker at the bottom, slimmer at the top) and a smooth, pale beige skin. Here’s a quick breakdown:

The texture of a butternut squash is smooth, cream coloured, and slightly dense when cooked — similar to sweet potato.

Naturally sweet and nutty, the butternut squash offers a hint of caramel when roasted or air-fried.

Commonly, butternut squash is roasted, mashed, or pureed into soups, casseroles, and pasta sauces. It can also be cubed and baked as a side dish.

Butternut squash is rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber, and low in calories, making it a healthy option when meal planning.

Even though it’s technically a fruit (it contains seeds), it’s usually cooked and eaten like a vegetable.

I bet you had no idea that butternut squash was a fruit, and if you did, you’re way beyond my expertise in garden knowledge.

Often, I find it interesting to learn facts about what goes into our meals, as it allows us to make better choices.

I wonder if butternut squash is also used for desserts?

Maybe I don’t want to know; pumpkin desserts are the reason for the season.

How To Make Butternut Squash Lasagna

Italian Bolognese Sauce (Beef Mince)

We don’t eat much bolognese sauce these days, but we would alternate between a British roast dinner and an Italian pasta dish on Sundays.

Making a meat sauce is easy, and you can double or triple the batch to freeze or can for future use.

Bolognese Sauce Step-by-Step

Feel free to add any other spices that you prefer to make this bolognese sauce for your family.

Sauce Ingredients

• 1lb Ground Beef and 1lb Ground Pork
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsps salt
• 1 tsp fresh black pepper
• 4 cups of whole tomatoes run through a mill or crushed (San Marzano is the best and you can find them at Costco Canada.}
• 1/2 cup dry red wine (any will do) – You can omit this step if you don’t care for wine.
• 2 tbsps Tomato Paste
• 1/2 cup of Chicken Stock Broth
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 carrot chopped fine 1/2 cup
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 medium diced white onion 3/4 cup

Instructions

• In a large pot, add the olive oil, garlic, onion, celery, and carrots on medium heat and Saute for a couple of minutes until tender.
• Add the ground beef and pork, and break it up with a wooden spoon
• Brown the meat for 10 minutes
• Pour the red wine into the meat and stir until it evaporates (3-4 minutes)
• Add the tomato paste and incorporate it with the meat
• Pour the chicken broth and stir
• Add 4 cups of crushed tomatoes and combine
• Put in 2 bay leaves (remove when the sauce is done)
• Add salt and pepper as desired (1-2 teaspoons of each)

How To Clean And Slice Butternut Squash

Cleaning butternut squash may look intimidating, but it’s straightforward.

Give the butternut squash a quick rinse under the water, dry it, and prepare to peel it.

Using a vegetable peeler, using long strokes, remove all of the skin from the squash.

Cut the butternut squash in half using a large, sharp knife by slicing down the middle.

Remove the seeds and webbing from the inside with a large spoon and rinse the squash.

Cut the butternut squash into thin slices like an apple using the same sharp knife or a mandoline.

If you get to any weird squash parts, slice them the same width, even though they aren’t symmetrical with the others.

Preparing The Ricotta Filling

We do the same for the butternut squash as you prepare ricotta filling for a traditional Italian lasagna.

Add ricotta cheese, egg, salt, pepper, chopped fresh parsley, minced garlic, and grated Romano cheese to a bowl. Mix the ricotta until creamy.

The ricotta mixture and the meat sauce will become a layer in the lasagna.

Typically, we add a layer of sauce with sliced boiled eggs to traditional lasagna, which you can do with this recipe.

I chose not to add hard-boiled eggs, but the option would be delicious.

Another option is to use a white Béchamel sauce instead of red or half and half.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil

Mix all of the above in a bowl until creamy and set aside until you assemble the lasagna.

Most Important Cheese Of All

If you’re anything like me, you love a good mozzarella cheese-pull.

I used both sliced Salerno mozzarella from Costco and grated 1 1/2 cups to add at the top of the lasagna.

It’s essential to use a good quality mozzarella cheese and to always refrain from pre-shredded options.

If you find that I add too much cheese, adjust the measurements according to your cheesy desire.

Ingredients

• 2 cups freshly grated mozzarella cheese
• 12-16 slices of Italian mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Notes

Once golden brown on the top and the cheese is melted, let the lasagna rest for 10 to 15 minutes so the juices have time to relax before you cut it.

You’ll get better cuts of lasagna this way.

Double or triple the recipe if you want thicker slices of butternut squash lasagna.

Also, switch up the recipe in any way you like to try different versions and make one according to your family tradition.

You may also have leftover bolognese sauce that you can use for a future meal.

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to one week or freeze for up to 3 months for future meals.