When it comes to pumpkin, I just cannot get enough. I think it started when I was a kid – I love Halloween and autumn, then my Granny made these fabulous pumpkin cookies, pumpkin pie, so when I saw this Rachel Ray recipe – I boldly decided to test it out on company!!! It’s a great dish for fall, definitely something different and unexpected. Right up my alley!!
Rachel Ray’s Recipe that I used ….
Ingredients
- 2 pounds butternut squash or pumpkin, halved and seeded (you could also buy canned pumpkin puree and skip some steps – I used the butternut squash, when I made it)
- Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for liberal drizzling
- Salt and pepper
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 pounds sweet Italian sausage
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 quart whole milk
- 10-12 leaves fresh sage, very thinly sliced
- 2 boxes no boil, flat-edged lasagna sheets
- 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Preparation
Pre-heat the oven to 400ºF.
Drizzle the squash with a little EVOO and season with salt, pepper and a little freshly grated nutmeg. Roast cut-side down until tender, about 40 minutes. Let cool until it’s cool enough to handle, then scoop the flesh out of the skin and add to a food processor. Puree the squash or pumpkin with the stock and honey, in two batches if necessary, and reserve.
Brown the sausage, crumbling it into very small bits as it cooks, about 7-8 minutes.
While the sausage cooks, heat a pot over medium heat. Add the butter and melt, then whisk in the flour, cook for 1 minute and then whisk in the milk. Season with salt, pepper, a little freshly grated nutmeg and sage. Cook until thickened, about 7-8 minutes, whisking occasionally.
Dot some pumpkin puree in the bottom of a casserole dish, then add a layer of pasta. Top with a third of the cooked sausage and cover lightly with pumpkin puree. Cover with another layer of pasta, a third of the béchamel sauce and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. Repeat with two more layers, ending each with béchamel sauce and using all of the remaining cheese for the top layer. Sprinkle parsley across the top, cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover to brown the top.
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