Eat Healthy Monday

Today’s tip: Get creative – try a new recipe!

Cooking and eating at home are a guaranteed way to feed yourself and your family healthier food (for your body and for the planet). You know where the ingredients are coming from (hopefully a farmers market or healthy store- a food coop or the organic section in your local grocery store!) and you can be sure to add just what you want.

But cooking at home can get boring. Try a new recipe. Maybe this one:

Butternut Squash, Sausage and Sage Lasagna from our friend Laura Pensiero from Gigi Trattoria, Market and Catering. Doesn’t it sound delicious?! Delicious, yes! Low-fat, no! Remember to think about portion-size and be sure to serve with a green vegetable!

Ingredients
For the Béchamel:
8 tablespoons (two sticks) unsalted butter
½ cup all-purpose flour
6 cups milk
pinch ground nutmeg
salt and white pepper to taste

Click below to get the rest of the recipe or go to our recipe section (soon to be new-and-improved!).

For the Sausage and Squash Ragù:
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds Northwind Farm Italian sausage, case removed and meat cut into 1-inch pieces
10 fresh sage leaves
5 cups diced butternut squash (about 1 large squash, peeled and seeded)
3 shallots, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
1 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ cup dry white wine
1 ½ cups chicken stock or water
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 package no-boil lasagna noodles
3 cups (about ¾ pound) shredded mozzarella
1 ½ cups grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Prepare Béchamel:
Heat the butter in a heavy saucepan. Add the flour and cook, stirring, over low heat for 4 minutes. Increase the heat to medium and gradually add the milk, stirring constantly with a whisk. Continue whisking the sauce as it gently boils, about 10 minutes. Add the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Stir well and remove from the heat. Use immediately or store in a bowl with plastic wrap touching the surface of the béchamel so that a skin does not form on top. Store refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Prepare Sausage and Butternut Ragù:
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet or casserole over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and sage and cook until sausage is evenly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer sausage to a paper towel lined plate. Add remaining one tablespoon of the olive oil, butternut squash, shallots, garlic, parsley, and sage to the pan. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables soften slightly, about 5 minutes. Return the sausage to the skillet and sprinkle with the flour. Stir until completely incorporated and flour is not visible. Add the white wine, stirring to “deglaze” the bottom of the pan. When the wine is almost completely reduced, add the chicken stock or water. Bring to the mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until the sausage is cooked and tender and the pan juices have reduced, about 10 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary. Set aside to cool slightly.

Assemble Lasagna:
Spread ½ cup of the béchamel on the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish rubbed with butter or coated with cooking spray. Reserve 1 cup of the béchamel sauce for the top. Arrange 4 lasagna noodles over the sauce in the dish, trimming them, if necessary, so that they fit in one slightly overlapping layer. Spread ½ of the sausage and butternut mixture over the noodles, top with 1 ½ cups of mozzarella and ½ cup Parmesan cheese, then spoon half of the remaining béchamel sauce over top. Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Spread the reserved 1 cup of béchamel sauce over the noodles, cover and bake at 375°F for 35 minutes. Remove the cover, sprinkle the top with the remaining Parmesan cheese and cook until lightly browned and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.