Roasted Butternut and Sweet Potato Whole Wheat Lasagna

Roasted Butternut and Sweet Potato Whole Wheat Lasagna.

October 18, 2011

With brown butter and creamy mascarpone and crispy sage and caramelized shallots and a bunch of other delicious stuff that was waaaay too long to fit into the title.

I’m in dirty lust.

Which is huge. Because you may remember that I don’t even like lasagna. Oh cheese and quackers! Big news: I now love it. I don’t just love it. I flippin’ love it.

Sidebar: does sage freak anyone else the heck out? It’s just so… furry. It is one of my favorite herbs – I love everything about it from it’s taste to it’s scent, but I can barely get past it’s touch. And it’s not furry like a peach. It’s furry like some sort of… creeper.

That’s why I like to make it crispy. Well, that… and because two weeks ago I ate pumpkin ravioli with crisped sage over top and I actually thought that I had died. Like, that I was dead. Literally. Nothing on Earth should be allowed to taste that good.

Here’s one thing I will not be winning an award for anytime soon… cutting squares of lasagna. I think you’re supposed to let it “set” or something? Ha! Like I’d have the patience for that. I nearly consumed the pan with a spoon fresh from the oven. Taste buds be damned.

I know that this mess of cheesy squash doesn’t look like much, but I gotta tell you that it’s probably the most visually underrated dish I have ever made. I didn’t expect it to taste half as delicious as it did… and I was completely blown away. There is so much flavor packed into each little square that it’s like eating a giant plate of autumn. Plus, all of that squash has to count for a few days worth of vegetables. I love when I accidentally on purpose eat something delicious.

Roasted Butternut and Sweet Potato Whole Wheat Lasagna

makes one 8×8 dish

9-12 whole wheat lasagna noodle sheets (preferably no-boil)

1/2 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about 2 cups cubed)

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. After mashing mine, I actually used a hand mixer with beaters to “whip” them a bit more, but that 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 to hot, reduce the heat. If it does burn, start over (sorry – totally worth it though!). 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, 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. This dish will serve 2-4 as an entree, and 4-6 as a side dish.