Flours and Fudge: Roasted Butternut Squash, Sage, and Goat Cheese Lasagna

Yesterday was lasagna day! I half forgot, then half got really busy and didn't have time to post this recipe. I actually made it Thursday night, since I don't cook on Fridays, unless baking a cake counts. That comes later....

I have a few new lasagna recipes and I was really waiting to try this one in the fall, but I wanted to compare it to my regular butternut squash lasagna recipe. This one is more flavorful, but my regular one is healthier. Of course. As I was looking up the link for my original recipe, I found that it was the first recipe I had ever posted. That was almost a year ago.

Roasted Butternut Squash, Sage, and Goat Cheese Lasagna
adapted from Perry's Plate

1 1/2 cups smashed roasted butternut squash
8 ounces goat cheese
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 T minced fresh sage or 1/2 tsp dried ground sage
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/8 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
3 cups marinara sauce (about 25 oz or so)
9 no-boil lasagna noodles
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a small bowl combine the goat cheese, ricotta cheese, egg, 2 T minced fresh sage, salt & pepper. Mix thoroughly. Set aside.
3. Prepare an 11x7 inch (I used a 9x9 square dish) casserole dish with nonstick spray and add spread a couple spoonfuls of marinara sauce in the bottom. Put a layer of lasagna noodles over the sauce.Spread about 1/2 cup smashed squash over noodles, followed by 1/3 of the goat cheese mixture, 1/3 of the marinara sauce and 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella. Repeat layering two more times with remaining ingredients and top with remaining mozzarella cheese.
4. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake, uncovered, for another 15 minutes until everything is bubbly, heated through, and the cheese begins to turn golden brown. Allow to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.

In my last post, the one with the Blackberry Cabernet Cupcakes, I mentioned that had leftover frosting and puree that I would use up. Well, I used it.

Pretty impressive, if I say so myself

This was a semi-homemade recipe. I used the homemade puree and frosting with a boxed devil's food cake. This was my first cake I have ever successfully made (the last boxed cake I made crumbled to pieces) and the first cake I have ever decorated. The decorating came out not as bad as I had imagined, but also not as good as I had imagined. That's ok, I have plenty of time to practice.

My amateur-ness came through when making this cake as well. I took my leftover frosting out of the fridge and found it to be a solid block in the shape of the tupperware it was in. I panicked. I don't know why I didn't expect it, it's a buttercream...BUTTER, which hardens when it gets cold. I ran to my trusty best friend Google and looked up what to do. Turns out I just had it let it come to room temperature and then beat it in the electric mixer until it becomes smooth again. If you happen to refrigerate some buttercream, do not panic. And also, let it beat for almost 10 minutes. Mine looked super grainy for almost 8 minutes and I began to panic again, but it all came together shortly after. Just follow the boxed cake directions and frost it how you want it.