I am always looking for different ways to eat my delicious and homemade Bolognese sauce (recipe coming soon!) without incorporating pasta.  This recipe passes is a keeper in my kitchen.  By using thinly slices of butternut squash in place of the lasagna noodles is gives it the structure of a traditional lasagna without the refined grains (which I try and stay away from on a regular basis).  The whisked eggs are the secret and magical ingredient in this dish; by finishing off every layer with the eggs, taking the place of the traditional ricotta cheese mixture usually used it completes this perfect autumn dish .  I won’t lie, I miss the gooey cheese the standard lasagna uses but for a healthy , dairy and grain free weeknight meal it certainly does the job.

Adapted from Stupid Easy Paleo

Serves 6

Preheat over to 400 degrees F

Sauce
1 tablespoon of bacon fat (or your cooking oil of choice)
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
4 carrots, diced
4 slices of bacon, chopped
1 pound of ground meat (I use half pork and half beef but you can use whatever you prefer)
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 28 ounce can of ‘Kitchen Ready’ ground tomatoes
1 28 ounce can of whole plum tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of fresh basil, chopped

Lasagna
1 butternut squash, cored and sliced thin
4 eggs, whisked
Salt and pepper to taste

HEAT a moderate size Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the bacon fat and coat pan.  Once hot, add the chopped onion and cook until softened.  Add chopped bacon and cook until most of the fat has rendered.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant.  Add carrot and a generous dose of salt and pepper and cook until carrot begins to soften.  Add the ground meat and another generous dose of salt and pepper.  Brown the meat well. Add the tomato paste and combine.  Add the ground tomatoes and plump tomatoes and bring to a simmer.  Turn heat down and cover.

THINNLY slice squash, keeping all the slices uniform so they cook evenly.  Ideally you would do this with a mandolin (which I don’t own yet).  Best way to do this is separate the top of the squash (which is solid) from the bottom half (which is cored out).  Using a sharp knife slice thin and long slices.

Slice the bottom half into half moons (as shown below)

PREPARE lasagna.  Start with a ladle of sauce, covering an 8 x 8 inch casserole dish evenly.  Next place the squash slices in a single layer, covering the sauce.  Add about 1/3 of the whisked eggs, coating the squash evenly.

Repeat the sauce-squash-egg sequence 2-3 more times (until the dish is filled), ending with a thin layer of sauce and a generous amount of salt and pepper.

End with a decorative top with any extra pieces of squash and a drizzle of olive oil if you fancy.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a knife easily pierces the squash.