Butternut Squash Spinach Lasagna

By á-4084

This seems like a lot of work but it looks delicious! Plan to add to Thanksgiving menu.

Ingredients

• Noodles
• half of a 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (1/2 cup packed)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 to 2 tablespoons cold water
• Squash filling
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 cups peeled, cubed butternut squash
• Mushroom & onion filling
• 1 pound white or portabella mushrooms, sliced or diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 medium-large sweet onion, peeled and sliced
• White sauce
• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter
• 1/3 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• Cheese filling
• 1 pound ricotta cheese, whole milk or part skim
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Step 1

1) To make the pasta: Combine the spinach and eggs in a blender or food processor; process until the spinach is finely chopped.

2) In a bowl or mixer (or continue in the processor), add the salt and then the flour. Add enough water to bring the dough together, with no dry bits of flour remaining. Knead the dough, by hand or in a mixer, until smooth. (In a processor, process for 60 seconds, using the dough blade.)

3) Wrap the pasta in a lightly oiled piece of plastic wrap or waxed paper, and set it aside for at least 1 hour, for the gluten to relax.

4) To prepare the squash: Place water, butter, and salt in a large frying pan. Add the squash; it should be in a single layer. Cover the pan, and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the squash is starting to soften. Remove the cover, increase the heat, and cook, tossing occasionally, until the water evaporates and the squash browns, about 15 minutes. Remove it from the pan, and set it aside.

5) To prepare the mushrooms and onions: Using the same pan, if desired, sauté the mushrooms in 1 tablespoon of the oil, with the salt, until they've released their liquid, and are browned. Remove them from the pan, and set them aside. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan, and sauté the onions until they're golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

6) Divide the dough into six pieces, and shape each piece into a short log. Working with one piece at a time, use a pasta machine to roll the logs into long, thin sheets, as thin as possible (setting 9 on most pasta machines). Cut the sheets in half; each half should be about 13" long. You'll end up with 12 noodles, with some leftover trimmings — feel free to cut these into fettucine and boil them up for a snack, with a bit of garlic oil. Cover the noodles with plastic wrap while you make the cheese filling.

7) To prepare the cheese filling: Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Stir in the flour and salt.

8) Whisk in the milk, stirring constantly, until all the milk is added and no lumps remain. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens.

9) Remove the sauce from the heat, and stir in 3/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese (see "tips," at left).

10) To assemble the lasagna: Pour about 1 cup of the white sauce into the bottom of a lightly greased 9" x 13" pan, or similarly sized casserole dish. Place three noodles on top.

11) Arrange the squash on top. Top the squash with three more noodles.

12) Spread the ricotta cheese over the noodles. Add three more noodles, and another cup of the sauce.

13) Spread the mushroom/onion mixture evenly over the sauce. Add the last three noodles, and top with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining grated Parmesan.

14) Cover the lasagna, and bake it in a preheated 375°F oven for 45 minutes. Remove the cover, and bake for an additional 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top of the lasagna is nicely browned.

15) Remove the lasagna from the oven, and let it rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Yield: about 8 to 12 servings.

Recipe summary

Hands-on time:
1 hrs 30 mins. to 1 hrs 50 mins.
Baking time:
1 hrs 30 mins. to 1 hrs 35 mins.
Total time:
4 hrs to 4 hrs 25 mins.
Yield:
12 servings

Tips from our bakers

Don't want to make your own noodles? Use the cooked lasagna noodles of your choice. You may not be able to fit as many layers into your pan, since store-bought noodles will be thicker than our homemade noodles. If that's the case, simply use three layers of noodles, instead of four.
For less of Parmesan cheese's assertive tang, omit it from the white sauce, and simply sprinkle 3/4 cup grated Parmesan on top of the lasagna before baking.
For more of lasagna's typical gooey/melting cheese texture, during assembly, sprinkle each layer of white sauce with a couple