Emeril's One Pot Blogger Party - Butternut Squash Lasagna

Starting today, I am participating with 19 other bloggers around the country in reviewing Emeril Lagasse's new cook book Sizzling Skillets and Other One-Pot Wonders. For the next three weeks we'll be cooking through his new book working up to its release on September 27th. We'll be cooking through at least nine recipes, talking technique and  playing with some pretty fun ingredients. And I'll even be giving away a copy of the book! 

I received his new book on Friday and I just couldn't put it down. I love reading cookbooks anyway but from the way it's organized to the fun combination of ingredients, it was just a good read. The book is organized by the following categories:

• Skillets and Saute Pans
• Casseroles and Baking Dishes
• Dutch Ovens
• Big Pots
• Woks
• Slow Cookers

So, really, how could you go wrong? As I went through the book I started to write down the recipes that I thought I would want to make right away. I had over nine from the first section. I think I'll be working through this book for quite awhile.

Butternut Squash Lasagna with Italian Sausage and Sage

I chose my first dish for two reasons. I absolutely love a good lasagna and a blogger friend had just given me her pasta machine and I was dying to try it out. So why not make my own lasagna noodles? It made for a long day, but it was well worth it. I loved rolling the balls of fresh pasta dough through the roller and then carefully cutting the lengths of tender dough. The best part about making your own lasagna is being able to cut it the exact length of your pan. No more mixing and matching pieces to get it to the right length.

I wouldn't call myself a lasagna expert but I don't think I would classify this as your traditional lasagna. Emeril starts off by roasting diced butternut squash in olive oil and cinnamon and then folds that into a beautiful mixture of italian sausage, sage, marjoram and fennel. And to top it off, throw in a diced apple of all things. The cheese mixture includes four different cheeses to ensure absolute indulgence. The only change I made was to not include the hazelnuts that it called for, just because I thought I had some and didn't. I also made it all on Saturday, threw it in the fridge overnight and then put it in the oven after church for a quick family dinner.

The result is a hardy, creamy texture, that explodes with different flavors in every bite. This is the perfect time of year for this dish and it makes me even look forward to the fall flavors to come. I wish I could share more of the recipe with you, but you're just going to have to wait a bit longer! Coming up in the next few days, I'll be offering a copy of the book to one lucky person and you can also go find out more information and pre-order it here!

Join me on Facebook or Twitter as I continue to work my way through Emeril's Sizzling Skillets and Other One-Pot Wonders!



{Disclaimer: As part of this blogger party I received a free copy of the cookbook, a set of Emeril by Zak Table Art, a bottle of Emeril's Essence Spice mix and will receive a small grocery stipend and other Emeril cookbooks following the event. All opinions expressed are my own.}