Butternut Squash and Kale Lasagna

Sadly, I am sans picture for this one. But, it was so good, I have to share.

We had our department pot luck lunch today (academics love lunch -- I have yet to figure out why) and the spread was great. There were appetizers, desserts, and someone even made two roasts! It's a good thing I brought this dish, though, because the vegetarians wanted nothing to do with the meat plate. Not to toot my own horn, but the lasagna was all gone by the end of lunch and the meat plate was half full.

Notes: This one is a little time consuming, but it's totally worth it. None of the steps are difficult, they just take patience.

Ingredients:
1 small butternut squash
1/2 bunch of kale, cleaned and stemmed
2 shallots
2 tablespoons of butter
1 box no-boil lasagna noodles
1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce
1 15 oz. tub of ricotta cheese
1 cup of grated Romano cheese
1 large or two small mozzarella balls
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1/4 cup of whole milk or heavy cream (no skimping on the fat)
2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
2-3 sprigs of fresh sage
salt
pepper

Directions: Heat your oven to 375.

Start by prepping the layers.

Squash: You have two options with the butternut squash: (a) roast it ahead of time and use the roasted mashed flesh or (b) slice it thin and layer the slices between the noodles. I didn't want to bother with roasting, so I opted for (b). I just cut the peel away from the squash with my kitchen knife and then cut it in half. I scoop the seeds out of the lower half and then I just slice it about 1/4-1/8 of an inch thick. Put the slices in a bowl and season with salt, pepper, maple syrup, and a heaping tablespoon of chopped sage.

Kale: Stack your kale pieces on top of each other and roll them up like a cigar. Then do thin slices chiffonade-style. Put it in a bowl and set aside.

Cheese: Dump your ricotta and Romano cheese into a bowl. Add lots of fresh black pepper, and a heaping tablespoon of chopped thyme and chopped rosemary. Mix until it's well-blended.

Put all three bowls back in the fridge while you make your sauce.

Thinly slice your shallots. Add butter to a pan and saute the shallots over medium. I lightly caramelized mine. Add the jar of sauce and the milk or heavy cream. Take your remaining herb sprigs (if you have any) and add them whole to the pan. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.

When the sauce has 5 minutes left, take all your bowls out of the fridge. Add the balsamic vinegar to the kale and mix it well (you want to massage the kale a bit). Season with salt and pepper.

Slice your mozzarella balls and fish your herb stems out of the sauce

Now it's time to assemble the lasagna! In a 13x9 pan, add:
1 cup sauce
4 lasagna noodles
1/3 ricotta mixture
1/3 squash
1/3 kale

Repeat the layer two more times. For the top layer, add the final noodles and your remaining sauce. Layer your mozzarella cheese on top. Cover it in foil and bake for 40 minutes. Take the foil off and bake for another 5-7 minutes to brown the cheese.

Let it stand for 7-10 minutes (or, if you're me, rush it to the the potluck covered in foil and nestled in towels) and enjoy!