There’s a longstanding culinary tradition of crafting delicious meals out of repurposed leftovers. From Italian arancini, crispy fried rice balls rolled out of cold risotto, to shepherd’s pie made with yesterday’s roast, some of our most beloved dishes exist thanks to generations of creative and resourceful cooks.
This recipe for butternut squash lasagna was born out of that same spirit and utilizes leftover bisque as the sauce in this hearty, straight-forward dish. Over the years it’s become one of my most frequently requested autumn dishes, perfect for potlucks or stashing in the freezer for a rainy day. The first iteration of the recipe contained crumbled sage breakfast sausage, but in the years since I’ve often swapped out the sausage for sautéed baby greens and/or roasted mushrooms for a satisfying vegetarian entree.
Feel free to swap out the butternut for other types of squash such as kabocha, honeynut (a petite, ultra-flavorful descendant of butternut squash) or jarradale. In truth, any smooth, creamy vegetable bisque will work – cauliflower is an especially tasty option and can easily be substituted for the squash in the recipes below. Just be sure to use at least one cup of soup for every five noodles that are layered into the dish. Cream cheese, while not usually a standard ingredient in butternut squash bisque, adds a rich, creamy tang to the lasagna. If making the bisque to serve simply as a soup, you may wish to omit the cream cheese.
Butternut squash bisque
Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash, about 3-4 pounds
¼ cup unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 medium-sized tart baking apples, such as granny smith, peeled and diced
2-3 cloves garlic
Salt and black pepper, to taste
⅛ teaspoon grated nutmeg, plus more for the top
2 tablespoons minced fresh sage
4 cups chicken stock
4 ounces cream cheese
1 cup heavy cream
Peel the butternut squash with a vegetable peeler. I find it’s easier to cut off the round bottom section of the squash and peel the round and long sections separately. Slice the round part in half and scoop out the seeds, then cut the entire squash into uniform half-inch pieces and set aside.
Have the onions and apples diced and ready to go. Cook the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat until it’s brown and nutty but not burnt. Add the diced onions and apples along with the garlic cloves (no need to mince the garlic) and nutmeg. Season generously with salt and pepper. Sauté the mixture briefly until it just begins to soften and become fragrant, then add three-fourths of the cubed butternut squash (reserve the remaining squash cubes for the lasagna) and the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the squash cubes are very tender, about 15-20 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the heavy cream and cream cheese, then use an immersion blender to purée the soup until it is completely smooth. Season to taste with salt as needed. Serve or chill and freeze for up to six months.
Butternut squash lasagna
Ingredients:
4 cups butternut squash bisque, above
Reserved butternut cubes from preparing bisque
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and black pepper, to taste
1 pound lasagna noodles
1 pound sage breakfast sausage, cooked and crumbled
6-8 ounces each grated Parmesan and gruyere
Additional sage leaves for garnish, if desired
Canola oil to fry sage leaves, if desired
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment.
Toss the reserved squash cubes with the olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper then roast in the oven until tender and lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Remove the squash from the oven and reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. Set aside to cool slightly.
Liberally butter a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish, then add about ½ cup of the squash bisque to the bottom of the dish and spread it to coat the bottom of the pan. Top with four lasagna noodles and a cup of the sauce, followed by half each of the cooked sausage and the remaining diced squash. Sprinkle on one third of the cheese, then repeat with another layer of noodles, bisque , meat, roasted squash and cheese. Add a final layer of four noodles and the remaining bisque and cheese. Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg and some freshly ground black pepper, then cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 10 minutes more, then remove from the oven and let rest 30 minutes before serving.
To make the fried sage leaf garnish, heat approximately ½ inch of canola oil in a medium skillet over medium high until it’s hot enough that a bread cube sizzles when added to the hot oil. Fry the sage leaves until they are crispy, about 30 to 40 seconds, taking care not to overcrowd the pan. Sprinkle with salt before serving.
Ashley Meyer is a chef, freelance writer and mom of two based in Springfield.
This article appears in October 9-15, 2025.
