Butternut Squash, Arugula and Turkey Sausage Lasagna

As of right now we are headed to Charlotte since Charleston has called a mandatory evacuation because of Hurricane Matthew.  Prayers to all of you in this hurricane's path. I pray the damage is not bad.  Today I wanted to share a lasagna recipe that I was cooking right as all this evacuation business went down.  

I love lasagna.  Sometimes it can be time consuming to make but I always find it is worth the effort.  It is officially October so you know I have Fall food on my brain.  I have been wanting to use butternut squash somehow and this was the perfect answer.  I love that they now sell butternut squash already peeled, seeded and cubed.  It saves so much time!!  The flavors in this lasagna are rich but so good.  I was originally going to use kale or spinach for the greens but I had a huge bag of arugula from the Farmers Market so I figured why not?  The peppery arugula paired perfectly with the slightly sweet squash, spicy sausage and creamy goat cheese.  This is the perfect one dish comfort food.

|| B U T T E R N U T   S Q U A S H + A R U G U L A + 

T U R K E Y  S A U S A G E   L A S A G N A ||

- 1 box lasagna noodles

- 1 pound ground turkey sausage or regular sausage

- 2 cups chopped and cooked butternut squash

- 1/2 cup whipping cream

- 1.5 cups ricotta

- 2 cups arugula

- 2 garlic cloves minced

- 1/2 white onion diced

- 2 cups shredded mozzarella

- 4 oz crumbled goat cheese

- 1 ball fresh mozzarella

- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Cook noodles according to box and lay flat to drain and dry.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Toss chopped butternut squash with olive oil and salt and pepper and spread evenly on a baking sheet.  Roast for 30 minutes until fork tender.  Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes.  

In a food processor or blender add the cooled squash, whipping cream, and ricotta and blend until smooth.  Add in a little salt and pepper to taste.

In a skillet heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and add the garlic and chopped onion.  Cook 5 minutes and then add in the turkey sausage.  Cook until browned.  Stir in the arugula and red pepper flakes and cook until it wilts.  Remove from heat and add in goat cheese and parmesan cheese.

Take a rectangle baking dish and grease with cooking spray.  Spread a small about of the pureed butternut squash over the bottom.  Then add a layer of noodles, shredded mozzarella, butternut squash puree, then turkey sausage mix.  Repeat 3 times or as many as your dish will fit.  For the last layer do a row of noodles and then the fresh sliced mozzarella ball.  

Cover with foil and bake at 350  degrees 30 minutes.  Remove the foil and cook another 10 minutes until cheese is bubbly but not too brown.