Butternut and Burrata Lasagne with Winter Greens

I’ve heard a rumor that a “Christmas lasagne” is a thing?

It wasn’t in my house growing up. We had absolutely lovely Christmases with just the right amount of holiday cookie overload, twinkling lights, a carpet of gifts, frittata for breakfast, oranges and chocolate in our stockings and a sprinkling of undue stress around tidying, wrapping + perfecting the already perfect.

New traditions (like lasagne?!)

Now that I’m a grown-ass person, it’s interesting to see what traditions stick. The appropriate overload of holiday cookies is very much en force. A special Christmas breakfast is certainly something I look forward to cooking. But many things have changed. We’ve alleviated the stress of tidying and wrapping by agreeing that we give gifts that can’t be wrapped up with a bow. And instead of ripping off wrapping paper, we spend the day skiing in the Colorado backcountry. And for all of my actual ignorance with respect to the mythical Christmas lasagne, this idea makes perfect sense to me. Because when we get home from such a grateful, joyful + adventurous day we want something cozy, maybe cheesy, certainly hearty + healthy too.  This Butternut + Buratta Lasagne with Winter Greens feels like a great candidate this year; easy to make ahead, hearty, cozy, gooey + healthy enough to enjoy at every single meal for days after.

A hearty, healthy lasagne

I’m not a big lasagne baker. Many of the recipes I’ve tried are heavy, overly cheesy, and while fat slices are lovely to pull from the freezer, they’re all kind of a pain in the ass to make. But this one is ridiculously flavorful + feels decadent but doesn’t feel like a big rock in your gut after indulging even a very generous slice.

Instead of employing ricotta, mozz, and parm here, I’m using fresh ricotta, a bit of fresh burrata and about half the amount of parmesan from regular lasagne recipes, and it doesn’t result in a lasagne that’s any less gooey or rich. Instead, richness comes from buttery butternut squash layered in and a lovely mix of warming, savory spices.

It all started when I peeked into our fridge after Thanksgiving and found a healthy supply of leftover whole milk and cream, I could only think of homemade ricotta. (Overachiever, indeed.) And what else is ricotta good for if not lasagne?

I didn’t have any mozzarella, but I did have a little container of burrata and a fatty butternut that was asking to be roasted. And all of a sudden, I became a believer in Christmas lasagne too.