Butternut Squash & Leek Lasagna

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When it comes to lasagna I feel like I should be the master.  I’ve tried it so many ways, attempted making it in so many ways, and I love eating it.  But honestly?  Nothing compares to my mom’s old-fashioned lasagna that I can’t seem to recreate for the life of me.

That being said, this is a fabulous and healthy take on lasagna that, until I can finagle my mom’s recipe from her, will probably be a staple in our house from now on.  I like to think it was kismet, me and this lasagna.  Nate and I are eating healthier and healthier but are still wanting our favorite old-fashioned comfort foods.  I was randomly scrolling through AOL.com the other day and saw this recipe.

 

And the rest is history.

However, my husband only thinks a meal is a meal if there’s some sort of meat in it.  This means a little extra tweaking on my part by adding crumbled turkey sausage.  The things we do for love!

I felt like that might have decreased the “healthiness” of it though, so I made sure to chop some kale and saute it with the leeks in the beginning of the sauce process. Plus it gave me an excuse to add another Tbsp of butter.  Hey, sometimes there’s not enough fat for the flour and you gotta make choices.  Kale nutrients, extra butter.  Win-win.

 

The great thing about leeks is that they cover up the stinkiness of the kale, so all you get is fabulous leek flavor with good kale nutrients.  *Pats self on the back.*  I promise, y’all can thank me later.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH & LEEK LASAGNA

Original recipe from Eating Well, but below is the version I made

• 10 ounces flat no-boil lasagna noodles
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 large leeks, pale green and white parts only, thinly sliced and washed thoroughly (about 6 cups)
• 1 bunch fresh kale, stems removed and the leaves chopped finely
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups rice milk (it’s what we had on hand)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 2-pound butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded and grated using the large-hole side of a box grater
• 1 lb turkey sausage, browned and crumbled
• 6 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated using the large-hole side of a box grater
• 1/4 cup toasted walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.  Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed pot oven over medium heat. Add leeks and chopped kale and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the leeks and kale; stir well. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Whisk in milk in a slow stream, increase heat just a bit, and cook, stirring constantly, until thick and bubbling, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in thyme, salt, nutmeg and pepper. Remove from the heat.  Assemble by layering one-third of the noodles, one-third of the sauce, half the squash, half the sausage, one-third of the cheese, half the remaining noodles, half the remaining sauce, all the walnuts, all the remaining squash, all of the remaining sausage, half the remaining cheese, all the remaining noodles, all the remaining sauce and all the remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake until bubbling and lightly browned, 30 to 45 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

It’s no Mom’s lasagna, but I have to say this was a FABULOUS and comforting meal and I can’t wait to eat the leftovers!