Ruth Reichl's Butternut Squash, Sausage, and Walnut Lasagne

When I first got my hands on Ruth Reichl's The Gourmet Cookbook, there were two recipes that jumped out at me, begging me to make them. The first was her Parmesan Walnut Salad in Endive Leaves, which I made straight away, and the next was her Butternut Squash and Hazelnut Lasagne, which I'm just now getting to because...well, it requires a lot of time and effort.

So, I've adapted this recipe for two reasons: one, I don't care for hazelnuts BUT I do love walnuts, and second, I wanted to add a little bit of sausage for flavor. Hence, Butternut Squash, Sausage, and Walnut Lasagne. I also read the reviews and decided to amp up the onion and garlic, add red pepper flakes, and add some more cheese, in the form of Gruyere. Mozzarella and Parmesan are good and all, but Gruyere belongs in this lasagne since it's nutty flavor pairs beautifully with both the walnuts and the butternut. Feel free to play with the flavors and adapt the dish how you like!

Just so you know, we're talking about layers of fresh pasta sheets covered in chunks of tender butternut squash seasoned with spicy sausage, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, walnuts, sage, and parsley; creamy bechamel sauce; and three kinds of cheese: Parmigiano-Reggiano, Fresh Mozzarella, and Gruyere.

I mean I don't wanna get in the habit of writing love letters to chefs, but I could definitely write Ruth a love letter about this lasagne. The flavors and textures are simply incredible, friends! This is an amazing dish and one that you could definitely entertain over the autumn months.

Now, I knew that I would really like this dish, but I wasn't expecting to be bowled over with flavors and textures. While there is plenty of butternut squash in this dish it is not overwhelming in any way. You get the flavor of the butternut, along with the spicy sausage, the creamy bechamel sauce, and all the cheeses, and you wanna know what's really nice in this dish? The crunch from the walnuts. It goes a long way in creating such wonderful texture in this dish. You have both creamy and crunchy, plus little nuggets of butternut along with way. Drop the mic, folks. This is a total winner!



Thanks, Ruth, for another absolutely amazing dish!

Butternut Squash, Sausage, and Walnut Lasagne

Adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook

by Ruth Reichl

Serves 6-8

For Filling:

3 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 pound ground sausage, spicy or another flavor

3 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2" pieces

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

pepper, to taste

red pepper flakes, to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

4 teaspoons chopped fresh sage

1 cup walnuts, toasted, and coarsely chopped 

any broth, optional

For Sauce:

3 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon or more, to taste, minced garlic

5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

5 cups whole milk

1 Turkish bay leaf 

1 teaspoon salt

pepper, to taste

For Assembling:

2 cups coarsely grated fresh mozzarella (about 8 ounces)

1 cup finely grated Parmesan-Reggiano (about 2 ounces)

1 cup grated Gruyere (optional)

12 oven-ready (no-boil) lasagne noodles or 3 or 4 fresh pasta sheets

Notes: Feel free to change up this lasagne however you see fit. I loved this with the spicy sausage, but you can definitely make this vegetarian, spicing it up with red pepper flakes, or without! 

Make the filling: Melt butter in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat. Add onion and sausage (if using) cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes. Add squash, garlic, salt and pepper, red pepper flakes (if using) and cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is just tender about 15-25 minutes. (I used a little broth here and there while I was cooking the squash so that the ingredients wouldn't stick to the pan). Remove from heat and stir in parsley, sage, and nuts. Taste the mixture and make sure the flavors are where you want them. Let cool. 

Make the sauce: Preheat oven to 425F. Butter a 13x9 baking dish. Set aside. Melt butter in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking, for 3 minutes to make a roux. Add milk in a slow stream, whisking constantly.  Add bay leaf and bring to a boil, whisking constantly, then reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, for 10 minutes. Whisk in salt and pepper and remove from heat. Discard bay leaf. (Cover the surface of sauce with wax paper if not using immediately). 

To assemble the lasagne: Toss cheeses together in a large bowl. Spread 1/2 cup sauce in a buttered baking dish and cover with 3 lasagne noodles (or a fresh sheet of pasta), leaving space if using separate noodles (pasta will expand). Spread with 2/3 cup sauce and 1/3 of the filling, then sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese.  Top with more noodles, 2/3 cup sauce, 1/3 filling, 1/3 cheese. Repeat layering one more time, using the remaining ingredients. Don't fret.  None of this needs to be exact!

To bake: Tightly cover the baking dish with buttered foil and bake lasagne for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until golden and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes more.  Let lasagne stand for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Garnish with sage and/or parsley, if desired and enjoy!