Fall recipes – My World (and recipes too)

Ingredients:

6 boneless chicken thighs (use bone-in if you like them better)

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

1 large onion thinly sliced

4 carrots peeled, sliced down the center & cut into largish chunks

2 cans chopped tomatoes (I used fire roasted)

1.5 Tbsp minced ginger

2 Tbsp minced garlic (measure with your heart, I always use more)

1.5 Tbsp curry powder

1/2 Tbsp Turmeric (more if that’s your thing. See how nice I am?)

1 cup chicken broth

3/4 cup heavy cream (or coconut milk)

1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro

Salt, pepper, granulated garlic & cayenne pepper

Directions:

Season chicken thighs generously with salt, black pepper, granulated garlic & cayenne.

Heat oil in a deep sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken, skin side down, and brown 2-4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Add more oil if necessary. Add the carrots then reduce heat to medium-low and cook 4-5 minutes until a little soft & brown in spots. (This means putting them in the pan and not moving them around a lot!)

Add the onions and cook 3-4 minutes or until softened.

Add curry powder, ginger, Turmeric and garlic and cook about 20 seconds.

Add tomatoes, chicken broth and cream (or coconut milk). Return chicken thighs to the pan.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover slightly and simmer 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through to 165 degrees. (For a thicker sauce, remove the chicken and simmer uncovered about 30 minutes or until reduced by half. Add the chicken back.

Adjust seasoning if desired. Stir in some of the cilantro but save some to garnish with as well.

This is such an unexpectedly light, delicious Fall dish!

I’m about to show you JUST HOW NICE I am! Rather than bore you with a lengthy blog on how to make this delicious recipe, I’m just going to post the photos of the steps and then the recipe. (You can thank my friend and one of Louisville’s most fun radio personalities-JESSE RASMUSSEN from MIX 106.9. -He HATES having to read a long, boring blog just to get to a good recipe!)

Poof! You’re welcome!! Let’s all say it together now, shall we?

THANK YOU JESSE!!!! (cough)

Step ONE: Boil and puree your butternut squash:

Cubed Butternut Squash in Chicken broth.

Okay I lied (just a little bit). When you boil your lasagna noodles don’t forget to salt the water. When they come out, it helps to place them on an oiled sheet pan. I actually rubbed olive oil on my noodles (front and back) so I could layer then on top of each other. It just made everything so much easier to work with AND it keeps them flat.

Freshly boiled lasagna noodles resting on a sheet pan.

Next you make your fillings and set them aside:

Spinach, kale, ricotta, cottage cheese, heavy cream, one egg, lemon zest, S&P, garlic, Italian seasoning.

Sweet Italian sausage & onions. (Let this cool before you start rolling.)

Then coat the bottom of your lasagna pan with about 1/4″ of the butternut squash sauce.

Butternut squash sauce in the bottom of the lasagna pan

Now begin your rollups. First the cheese mixture.

When they’re in the pan, cover them with sauce and freshly grated Parmesan Cheese. Cover LOOSELY with foil before you put this in the oven. (You will bake it a while and then take it out and add the Mozzarella to the top.

Covered in sauce & cheese, ready to bake now.

Ingredients:

Sauce Ingredients:

1 medium/large butternut squash (peeled & cubed)

32oz. Chicken broth

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp. Turmeric

2 Tbsp. red garlic (use granulated garlic if you can’t find red garlic)

2 Tbsp. Italian seasoning

1 Tbsp. Smokey Paprika

1 tsp fresh cracked pepper

Other Ingredients:

1 box lasagna noodles

1 lbs. Sweet Italian sausage (Leave the meat out to make this a vegetarian dish)

1 medium onion (diced)

1 bunch fresh Sage

8 Oz. frozen chopped Spinach

8 Oz. frozen chopped Kale

1 egg

Zest on 1 lemon

16 Oz. full fat small curd cottage cheese

8 Oz. Ricotta cheese

1 cup freshly grated Pecorino-Romano cheese

1 cup heavy cream

16-32 Oz. Grated Mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place the diced squash into a pot and pour in enough chicken stock to just barely cover it. Boil 10-15 minutes until fork tender. Remove from heat. Add in spices and cheese. Using an immersion blender, purée all ingredients. (Yes, you can use a regular blender as well.)

Prepare the noodles according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, brown the sausage & sauté the onions. Stir in freshly chopped Sage at the end. Drain and set aside to cool.

In a bowl, add the cottage cheese, ricotta, heavy cream, egg, Pecorino-Romano cheese, cracked pepper, lemon zest, garlic & Italian seasoning. Drain the thawed, frozen spinach and then squeeze out as much moisture as possible before adding it to the cheese mixture. Combine well.

Carefully drain the pasta and separate the noodles. It helps to coat a sheet Pan in olive oil and then lay the noodles flat on it. You can rub a little olive oil on each to prevent sticking.

Coat the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish with the butternut squash sauce. Now begin assembling the rolls. Lay one noodle out flat, coat it with a layer of the spinach/cheese mixture, then sprinkle on a layer of the sausage & onions. Starting from one end, carefully roll the pasta. Place the roll, seam-side down into the baking dish. Keep making the rolls and placing them until the dish is full. (Should make 9 to 12 rolls depending on how much filling is used.)

Once all the rolls are in the dish, coat the top with more of the sauce. Use enough to completely cover the pasta.

Cover loosely with aluminum foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil. Top with Mozzarella. Bake 5-10 minutes for cheese to melt and brown a little. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley.