When I want to make a special, hearty pasta dinner for friends or family, I turn to this delicious lasagna recipe. Spicy fennel Italian sausage and earthy sage-roasted butternut squash meet ready-to-bake noodles and a rich, cheesy cream sauce for a dinner that feels fancy enough to serve during the holidays and special events, but approachable enough to toss together the night before guests arrive.
What Makes This Lasagna Special
Homemade lasagna requires commitment. The required chopping, simmering, and layering are a labor of love—but worth it. I’ve prepared this pan of lasagna for my best friend’s birthday dinner (she now requests it), meal trains, family gatherings, and holiday-season dinner parties. It receives rave reviews every time.
This is a dish filled with intention and care—worthy of gathering around, opening a good bottle of wine, and slowly savoring the meal together. Fresh garlic and thyme mingle with the fennel sausage and sage-roasted butternut squash, filling the house with warm, wintry aromatics. Guests feel taken care of, knowing their bubbling square of lasagna was layered by hand with love.
Italian Sausage Butternut Squash Lasagna Recipe
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 mins
Total Time: 2 hours
Servings: 8-10
Ingredients
- 4 cups butternut squash, peeled and diced
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound hot Italian fennel sausage (or use sweet / spicy Italian sausage and add ½ teaspoon of fennel seed)
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced
- 1 pound whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 12 sheets no-boil lasagna noodles
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cook squash, spices, and herbs. Combine diced butternut squash with olive oil, cinnamon, thyme, bay leaf, and half of the salt and pepper. Toss to coat the squash and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes at 350°F. Once squash is tender (test with a fork), remove thyme sprigs and bay leaf and set aside to cool. Increase oven temperature to 375°F.
- Cook aromatics and sausage. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add garlic and onion, and cook until fragrant, approximately 1 to 3 minutes. Add sausage and fennel (if using) and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is browned. Remove from heat. Drain off any excess grease. Fold squash into sausage mixture. Set aside.
- Bloom sage. Heat butter in a small pan over medium heat until bubbly and slightly brown. Add sage leaves and cook for 1 minute, or until crisp. Set aside to cool.
- Combine cheese, cream, and eggs. In a large bowl, combine ricotta, heavy cream, eggs, half of the mozzarella and remaining salt and pepper. Add butter-sage mixture and combine thoroughly.
- Assemble lasagna. In a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish, spread 1 cup of the sausage and squash mixture in the bottom of the pan, drizzle 1/4 cup of the chicken broth over the top. Cover with a layer of pasta sheets. Spread 2 cups of the cheese mixture over the pasta and cover with another layer of pasta sheets.
- Spread another layer of sausage and squash over the pasta, drizzle with remaining broth. Place the final 4 pasta sheets over the top and spread the remaining cheese mixture over the pasta. Top with remaining mozzarella and ¼ cup of Parmesan.
- Bake lasagna. Cover pan with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes, until top cheese is bubbly and golden. Let lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving.