SAGE PESTO TURKEY AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH LASAGNA

This gorgeous green recipe is a perfect post-holiday recipe, full of bright flavor and a great use of leftovers! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! You can always swap the turkey for tofu as a vegan option, or ground meat of choice, if you like.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

Butternut Squash Purée Layer:

• 2 cups of roasted butternut squash

• 1/4 cup fresh sage leaves, divided

• 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

• Pinch Celtic sea salt

Lasagna:

• 1/4 cup prepared pesto

• 1/2 cup cashew or almond “cream cheese” or “ricotta”**

• 16 ounces chopped pre-cooked turkey (or cooked ground turkey/chicken/tofu/tempeh)

• 2 zucchini, thin sliced into strips for “noodles”

Garnish:

• 4 tbsp chopped pecans (1 tbsp/Svg)

• Nutritional yeast

• Ground black pepper or red pepper flakes

**Note: I used a local cashew “ricotta”but my recipe a few posts back for cashew cream cheese would make a great alternative!

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Great an 8x8 glass pan with cooking spray.

2. On the bottom of the pan, add 1 layer of thin sliced zucchini (1/4 of the slices). You can use a vegetable peeler or a knife to thinly slice.

3. In a blender or food processor, add butternut squash, 1/2 of the fresh Sage, a pinch of salt and pumpkin pie spice. Purée until smooth.

4. Layer 1/3 of the butternut squash purée over the zucchini.

5. Next layer 1/3 of the pre-cooked turkey.

6. For the next layer, spoon 1/3 of the cashew ricotta or cream over the turkey and evenly spread across the protein layer.

7. Continue repeating the layers until you end with zucchini slices as the last layer on top.

8. Spoon the pesto over top and evenly spread over the zucchini.

9. Place the remaining sage leaves on top.

10. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes until the top is golden and the lasagna is hot and bubbling.

11. Serve 1/4 of the lasagna with 1 tbsp chopped pecans and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast and or pepper, if desired.