There's a tiny (and I do mean tiny) feeling of fall in the air here in Texas, and it has me way too excited about all things cozy and fall like.  With the drop in humidity and temperatures, came my desire to cook comfort food and turn my stove back on over the weekend.  I am not going to lie, I am already plotting Thanksgiving and Christmas menus, decorations, and more.  I know I need to have this baby first...that's what you are thinking...but honestly I think his arrival is making my excitement even more so.  Regardless, my whole wheat butternut squash and pesto lasagna is the perfect transition meal right into fall!  

Butternut squash and pesto is an epic combination.  I had no idea when I was testing flavors that it would rock my world so much.  It's amazing, seriously, I kid you not.  This lasagna is perfect for any weeknight meal, but also if you serve it in individual ramekins, it's perfect for entertaining too!

This is slightly off subject, but I'll tell you anyway...we ate at a Brazilian steak house over the weekend and while I love meat...whoa.  This was too much for me.  My body has been in a meat coma ever since, and yesterday I couldn't even think about eating meat as part of my protein intake and today I am still feeling less than enthusiastic about it.  So I'll be eating vegetarian meals (like this lasagna), fish, and shrimp all week long.

With hearty whole wheat noodles, creamy roasted butternut squash, fresh pesto, and of course cheese, this lasagna is definitely my new favorite pasta recipe!  I can't wait for you to try it our for yourself!

Ingredients:

• Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles (you could use regular or gluten free noodles as well)

• 1 Whole Butternut Squash

• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

• Salt and Pepper

• 1 Cup of Pesto (fresh or your favorite store bought brand works here as well)

• 8 oz. Ricotta Cheese (part-skim or regular)

• 2 Cups of Grated Mozzarella

• 1 Cup of Grated Parmesan

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

• Peel butternut squash and remove seeds. Dice in large cubes.

• Place squash on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake for 45 minutes or until squash in tender and caramelized slightly.

• While squash bakes, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt heavily and add lasagna noodles.

• Cook noodles until they are almost done. They will finish cooking in the oven.

• Drain noodle while saving 1 ladle full of pasta water and lay out on wax paper or drizzle with olive oil to prevent sticking.

• Spray 4 ramekins or baking dish with non-stick spray.

• Mix ricotta cheese, 1/2 of the parmesan, and 1/2 of the mozzarella in a bowl and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to season.

• When squash is done, reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

• Puree butternut squash in a food processor or blender until smooth. I added a ladle full of pasta water here to thin out the mixture.

• To assemble lasagna, layer noodles (if using ramekins, I used two noodles and zig-zagged them back and forth in between layers ending with the noodle on top), squash puree, pesto, and cheese mixture until you have filled dishes.

• Top with the leftover parmesan and mozzarella and bake for 20 minutes until cheese in gooey and browned on top.

• Serve immediately.

That's it and and I promise that you are going to be making this recipe all season long!