Browned Butter Butternut and Pork Lasagna

I love comfort food more than anything else. I mean, sure Pork Taco Bowls are stinking delicious, and Hawaiian Pulled Pork is absolutely mouth watering, but make me choose between one of those recipes and a comfort food like Browned Butter Butternut and Pork Lasagna and hands down the lasagna wins. I mean it’s got pork, one of my all time favorite meats, browned butter-pure heaven, carbs-who doesn’t love carbs, and melty, gooey, delicious cheese. BOO-YAH! As soon as I got the email from the National Pork Board to create a few recipes for them I knew I’d say yes to working with them, but then they wanted comfort recipes?! Heck yeah I’m on board with that. And this lasagna was born. And we loved it. And now you will too.

I was looking through the recipe section on the Pork Be Inspired site and man, everything looks so juicy and delicious! I’ve found many a wonderful recipe there, but I was actually trying to make sure that there wasn’t a recipe like this one, which there isn’t. Butternut squash actually smells comforting. It’s so warm, nutty, and creamy. I just knew that a combination of my favorite fall/winter flavor with pork was totally the way to go. Oh, and there’s a secret in the puree, Ginger Snap cookies. Trust me, it’s exactly what the puree needs.

It’s actually not even the lasagna that totally made me feel at home but the squash and pork which brought back a flood of memories for me. I grew up in Washington state. Yes, it rains a lot. But aside from that it’s actually a beautiful place to grow up. I love how fresh and clean everything feels, and I especially love the sounds of cars driving by, wet tires splashing the water on the sides of the roads and driving through puddles, rain pitter pattering against the rough and pouring down the windows. I love how easy it is to sleep with the rain and wind outside. The air is cool, the sky dark and dreamy, and everything from the mist to actual down pours outside. I bet you didn’t know there are a whole list of different kinds of rain did you? In the Pacific North West we don’t just have rain, they are all different, mist, drizzle, rain, down pour, sleet, etc, etc.

I no longer live in the PNW, but I find myself missing it. Now it gets dark and the clouds full and I find myself wanting to snuggle up with a good book and something warm and delicious. That’s my comfort place. This lasagna has the aroma of crisp, cool fall nights, the flavor of juicy pork and nutty squash, and the comfort factor of all that cheese. It’s perfection. It’s like a mashup of my life growing up with a huge garden and all the squash we grew and then had to find recipes to keep up with it, and who I am now in my eating, things a little more up to date, but still totally classic. Plus the pork, we are pork obsessed in this house and not afraid to admit it.

But it’s not all about me, don’t you have something that makes you feel warm and comforted?

What Is Browned Butter?

Brown butter is a simple one-ingredient sauce that can transform all kinds of recipes.

It is made by melting butter in a sauce pan until it boils.

Then reduce the heat and stir occasionally until the butter is brown and has a nutty aroma.

What Can You Substitute for Butternut Squash?

You can use any winter squash, including buttercup, hubbard, sugar pumpkin, and acorn as a substitute for butternut squash.

How Long Will Butternut Squash Keep?

Butternut squash can be stored for up to 6 months if stored properly.

Squash should be stored in a cool, dry location.