Butternut Squash Lasagna
I'm probably (definitely) starting to sound like a broken record here, but I honestly can't say it enough. I LOVE fall food. In particular, I love any excuse to make a recipe with butternut squash. I can pretty much eat butternut squash any way you can imagine - roasted, on a salad, in a risotto, in pasta - you name it. But my most favorite recipe with butternut squash (and maybe ever) is butternut squash lasagna.
Butternut squash lasagna is one of those recipes that makes the people I love, and who know about this recipe, swoon upon hearing those magical words. It's just that good. It's comforting, savory, slightly sweet, creamy, and, of course, cheesy. If you love pasta and you love butternut squash, I highly recommend this recipe. It'll become your new favorite!
I'm not saying this recipe is hard, it certainly isn't. But, if I'm being completely honest, the only thing that limits me from making this probably once a week (because I would if I could) is that it just requires a littttle extra effort. Nothing wrong with that, of course. But I wouldn't recommend whipping this up on any given weeknight after a busy day of work. No, my friends, this recipe was designed for Sunday night dinners, to be eaten over wine and with friends and family. It'll take some time but, oh, will it be worth it.
Butternut Squash Lasagna
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis' Butternut Squash Lasagna
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
6 cloves garlic, peeled
salt and freshly ground pepper
5 amaretti cookies*, crumbled
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
3 1/2 cups whole milk
Pinch nutmeg
3/4 cup (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
4 cups shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lay squash on baking sheet with whole garlic cloves. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for 45-60 minutes, or until golden brown and tender. Let squash cool slightly then transfer to a food processor. Add the amaretti cookies and blend until smooth. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.
Melt the butter in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for about a minute to cook off the flour flavor. Gradually whisk in the milk. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until sauce thickens, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the nutmeg. Let cool slightly before transferring half to a blender, or a separate bowl to use with an immersion blender. Add the basil and blend until smooth. Return the basil sauce to the sauce in the pan and stir to blend. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Lightly butter a large casserole dish. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the baking dish. Arrange three lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles. Sprinkle with about 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Drizzle with 1/2 cup of sauce over the noodles. Repeat layering 3 more times.
Tightly cover the dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Continue to bake uncovered until the sauce bubbles and top is golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let the lasagna cool about 15 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!!
*A note about amaretti cookies: these are quite difficult to find, as I've discovered every time I make butternut squash lasagna. About 1 in 5 times I'll get lucky and actually find them at a Trader Joe's or some random store (usually they are seasonal). Most other times I have to improvise. The key is to get a crunchy cookie with some sort of almond flavor to add that extra special something to the butternut squash puree. I have improvised with almond biscotti, and most recently with shortbread cookies, for the sweetness and texture, and a 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract. Do whatever makes sense, but be warned: Amaretti cookies are a bitch to find. Thanks a lot, Giada!
