Category: Main Course
Butternut Squash Lasagna - TastyPlanner.com
Chef: Andrew Roberts
Pretty much what it sounds like. The sauce is cream-based, rather than tomato-based.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (1 1/2 to 2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup water
3 amaretti cookies, crumbled
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cups whole milk
Pinch nutmeg
3/4 cup (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
1/2 cups shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
Instructions
Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the water into the skillet and then cover and simmer over medium heat until the squash is tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly and then transfer the squash to a food processor. Add the amaretti cookies and blend until smooth. Season the squash puree, to taste, with more salt and pepper.
Melt the butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the nutmeg. Cool slightly. Transfer half of the sauce to a blender*. Add the basil and blend until smooth. Return the basil sauce to the sauce in the pan and stir to blend. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.
Lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup of sauce over the noodles. Repeat layering 3 more times.
Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake the lasagna for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the lasagna. Continue baking uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, 15 minutes longer. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving.
*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.
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Recipe Comments
I think there are a few typos in the original recipes. 1/2c milk should be 1 1/2c milk.
Make sure to spread the sauce and puree layers thin. I spread the sauce on the lasagna noodle then flip them , it just seemed easier.
It was extremly delicious.Perfect for fall.
TP used to have an annoying bug in that it would only process the last number in an ingredient quantity, so any mixed-number (1 1/2, 3 2/3, etc) was reduced to only its fractional value (1/2, 2/3, etc). Sorry about that, but I don’t have time to go validate all the recipes.
What is an amaretti cookie and is there something I can substitute for them? I don’t want to buy a package of cookies just to use three and have the rest sit in my cupboard until they go bad.
I ended up nixing the cookies, using about 2 1/2 cups of milk, and a whole lot more mozzarella (and squash) than called for. Also, I used frozen squash and it worked out just fine (and took a lot of time out of the preparation). I added some olive oil to the puree because it just seemed too thick even with the added milk… maybe it was just me, but it worked out just fine wither way. Like DELICIOUS just fine. :) 5 stars to this recipe. MAKE IT.
