Chicken Butternut Squash Lasagna is a rich, creamy and hearty comfort food. Combined with a generous amount of fresh spinach, this cozy one pan-meal is full of the delicious and warming flavors of fall. *Note that 1 hour, 45 minutes is roasting the squash, which you can do up to 2 days ahead. And 30 minutes is cooling time.
Prep Time1 hourhr
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Roasting the squash and Cooling Time2 hourshrs15 minutesmins
Total Time3 hourshrs45 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken for family dinner, comfort food recipes for fall and winter
2 super packed cupsspinach leaves,washed, dried, and stems removed
2½cupsricotta cheese(part skim or whole)
¾teaspoonsalt
1largeegg
3½cupsgrated Gruyère cheese
salt freshly ground black pepper to taste
about 15smallno-boil lasagna noodles (gluten-free are okay, too)
Instructions
Prepare the squash (this can be done up to 2 days ahead). Roast one or two whole butternut squash (to equal 5 pounds) by following this easy-to-follow guide. Then scoop out 4 cups of the squash. (Alternately, you can use canned butternut squash purée.) Add it to a blender with 1 cup of water or stock and blend until it's super smooth and almost pourable. Add the second cup of liquid gradually as you need it. You might need just a little, or all of it. Set this aside.
Make the sauce. Coat the bottom of a large sauté pan with olive oil and place it over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic to the pan. Sauté, stirring every so often, until the onions are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the sage and sauté for another couple of minutes.Move the onion mixture to one side of the pan and add the ground chicken to the empty side. Sauté, stirring and breaking up the chicken into smaller pieces, until it's cooked. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon and the allspice over the mixture and stir to blend. Add the butternut squash mixture and the spinach. Cook for about 10 minutes on low, stirring initially just to get the spinach wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Here's how to season to taste.)
Prepare the Ricotta. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix the ricotta with the egg, ¾ teaspoon of salt and the remaining ¾ teaspoon of cinnamon.
Set the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and adjust a rack to the top third of the oven.
Assemble.1. Add just enough of the sauce to coat the bottom of a 9 X 13 X 3-inch baking pan.2. Add a single layer of the no-boil lasagna noodles. 3. Spoon about ⅓ of the sauce evenly over the noodles.4. Spread an even layer of about ⅓ of the Ricotta mixture over the sauce.5. Sprinkle evenly with a 1 cup of the grated cheese.6. Repeat steps 2 through 5 twice more, finishing with 1½ cups of the grated cheese.
Bake. Place the pan on a sheet pan and bake in the preheated 350°F oven for about 30 minutes. The edges should be bubbling, and the top should be golden brown when it's done. If you notice it's getting too brown during the baking time, cover it lightly with foil. And if after 30 minutes, the top hasn't browned, place the pan under the broiler for about 30 seconds -- just to brown it. (Watch it closely under the broiler -- it works quickly!)
Cool and serve. Let the lasagna sit, covered lightly with foil, for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
*If you don't want to roast your own squash for the purée, you can buy it canned. Calorie count is only an estimate.