Butternut Squash Lasagna

Fair warning: I'm currently OBSESSED with butternut squash. So, you're going to be hearing a lot about it. 

Particularly since I bought 4 of them last week. Also an acorn squash, just cus. 

That's a damn lot of squish. Ya know what? I'm gonna eat it ALL. Well, most of it, I'll share some...

I finally got to make the lasagna I've been dying for since early summer. Guess. What?! It was delicious!

This is a pretty simple and very tasty option. Wanna know how I did it? Of course you do!

Butternut Squash Lasagna

Ingredients

1 butternut squash

2 lbs ground beef, turkey or sausage

2-3 cups marinara sauce (from a jar or homemade!)

Optional: mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400, brown meat in a skillet (we used ground beef and added spices to make it taste like sausage. Hint: the key is FENNEL), drain and set aside. 

Peel and slice squash into planks or medallions about 1/8-1/4 inch thick. I had a large squash and only used the neck to make medallions (with my trusty mandoline!) I reserved the peeled and seeded bulb for other tasty uses. 

Time to start layering! Spoon a layer of marinara onto the bottom of your casserole dish (as thick or thin as you like, I love LOTS of sauce. This will prevent your squish from sticking. Lay out your squash planks or medallions, let them overlap if you went on the thinner side and leave them side by side if thicker. Add half the meat and then top with more marinara. Add some cheese if you're into that sorta thing. Continue layering until you run out of room or ingredients...

Make sure the top layer is marinara (or cheese over that). Place dish in the oven for 30-40 minutes. 

I took it out at 30 for slightly more firm squash. The sauce should be bubbly. Let sit for at least another 15 to allow sauce to thicken. This'll help it stay together and look very pretty once plated. :)

This makes for fantastic leftovers too, by the way. Once the flavors have had a day to meld together. Make extra!