It’s always fun for me to hear about which recipes really stick with you – and this is an old one that deserves to be pulled out of the archives. A couple of weeks ago – we received this email from Wendy:
I remember the recipe well – but haven’t made it in years and was delighted to be tasked with making it for Wendy (and all of you!). I used to make this butternut squash lasagna for just about every winter gathering – I even contributed the recipe to a cookbook called “Edible Twin Cities” which was published in 2013 (my only recipe in a book! maybe it’s a nudge from the universe to do my own?).
It’s especially lovely this time of year – as there is still some fresh local basil and the squash has been harvested. It’s a great main dish for vegetarians for Thanksgiving but you could easily add some cooked, crumbled sweet or hot Italian sausage into the layers as well.
Butternut Squash Lasagna
Gather this:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 butternut squash (2½ lb), peeled, seeded, and chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ½ stick (4 tbsp) butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3½ cups milk
- ⅛ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
- 2½ cups freshly shredded whole-milk mozzarella or white cheddar cheese (gruyere would also be delicious!)
- 1 box (8 oz) flat-edged, no-boil lasagna noodles
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan
Do this:
Pre-heat the oven to 350°F and lightly spray a 9×13 pan with avocado or olive oil cooking spray. Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium-high hight and toss in the squash. Add ½ cup water, lower to a simmer, cover, and cook about 20 minutes until tender. Cool a bit, puree in a food processor, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
For the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and whisk in the flour for about a minute. Turn the heat to medium high and slowly whisk in the milk. Boil for about one minute, then simmer about 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Stir in the nutmeg and cinnamon and let cool slightly. Put half the sauce in a blender with the basil and puree until smooth. Add the basil sauce back into the pot with the plain sauce, stir to combine and season with salt and pepper.
Set aside 1 cup of mozzarella. Layer in the pan: ¾ cup sauce, 3 noodles crosswise, ⅓ of the squash puree, ½ cup mozzarella. Repeat once more, then finish with 3 noodles, the remaining sauce, the reserved mozzarella, and the Parmesan.
Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes, then uncover and bake 15 more minutes. Rest 10 minutes before cutting.
