Roasted Butternut Squash Lasagna

By nlhartman

This recipe is an adaptation of Martha Stewart's recipe that calls for homemade noodle "sheets." I use boxed lasagna noodles. All other ingredients are the same. Look for amaretti cookies in Italian markets. They add a sweet note to the otherwise savory dish.

Ingredients

• 2 2 2 large butternut squashes (about 2 pounds each), halved lengthwise and seeded
• 3 3 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 1 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 1/4 2 1/4 8 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 8 ounces), plus more if needed
• 1/2 1/2 1/2 cup finely crushed amaretti cookies, plus more if needed
• 1/4 1/4 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh sage, plus more if needed
• 1/4 1/4 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more if needed
• 6 1/4 2 6 1/4 unsalted butter, cut into pieces 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 6 cups whole milk Coarse salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 6 6 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/4 1/4 2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 6 6 6 cups whole milk
• Coarse salt
• 1/4 1/4 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• to Nine lasagna noodles, cooked according to pkg. directions

Details

Servings 8
Preparation time 95mins
Cooking time 270mins
Adapted from marthastewart.com

Preparation

Step 1

Directions

Make the filling: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle squash halves with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast squashes, cut sides down, on a rimmed baking sheet until tender and browned, about 1 hour. Let cool. Scoop flesh from skins, and puree in a food processor until smooth. You can just finely mash without using the food processor.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Continue to cook until browned and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Combine 3 cups squash puree, 1 cup Parmesan, 2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons amaretti cookies, sage, browned butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and nutmeg in a bowl. Adjust seasoning as desired with more Parmesan, amaretti cookies, sage, salt, and nutmeg.

Make the bechamel: Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Reduce heat to low, and cook, whisking often, for 3 minutes (do not let flour brown).

Meanwhile, bring milk to a gentle simmer in another small saucepan over low heat. Gradually whisk hot milk into the roux, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and the nutmeg.
(This takes a while!)Raise heat to medium, and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Cook, whisking, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and cook until the raw flour taste is gone, 5 to 10 minutes more. Season with 3/4 teaspoon salt.

Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Assemble the lasagna: Spray bottom of pan with cooking spray. Coat bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with a thin layer of bechamel (about 1/2 cup). Arrange 3 lasagna noodles lengthwise in pan on top of bechamel. Top with 3/4 cup squash filling, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon amaretti cookies. Top with three more noodles.
Continue layering in same order (pasta, squash and amaretti, pasta, bechamel and Parmesan) until you reach the top of the dish, ending with pasta. Top third layer of pasta with 3/4 cup bechamel and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake, covered with parchment-lined foil, for 20 minutes. Uncover, and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Bake until top is browned, about 35 minutes more. Let cool slightly before serving.