A piping hot baking dish stuffed with layers of pasta, a creamy filling of Béchamel topped with roasted butternut squash, Italian sausage and melted mozzarella.
Peel the butternut squash, cut in half, remove the seeds and chop into small cubes.
Spread the squash cubes on a baking tray, then drizzle some olive oil, add the thyme, oregano, salt and black pepper. Mix well with your hands until it's all evenly coated.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, remove the sausages from their cases and break them in a non-stick pan. Cook for 10-15 minutes at medium heat continuing breaking them with a wooden spoon. Then set aside.
At the same time, you can make the béchamel. In a large pot melt the butter at medium heat. When fully melted, add the flour and mix with a wooden spoon for a minute or two to make the roux. Add the milk and mix well until the roux is completely dissolved.
Bring to boil then turn down the heat and let it simmer until it becomes creamy and can coat the spoon. Mix every so often to avoid it sticking to the bottom of the pan.
When you have the right consistency of béchamel, season with salt, black pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Turn off the heat and set aside.
When the butternut squash is ready, remove it from the oven and turn the oven down to 190°C (375°F).
Assembly the Lasagna:
Use a square or rectangular baking dish, I used a 20x20 cm (8x8”). Add a layer of sauce, then add a layer of pasta and another layer of béchamel sauce.
Add the sausage crumbles and the butternut squash cubes, do not add too much filling, it should be spread out. Add some mozzarella cheese and some Parmigiano. Then start again with the pasta layer. Repeat until the dish is full.
As final layer sprinkle a generous amount of Parmigiano cheese, to get a nice crust.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes (also check the packaging directions of your pasta). If the crust starts browning too early, cover with aluminum foil.
Notes
If you don’t want to make your own béchamel sauce, you can buy the premade white sauce at the supermarket.