Home » My Recipes, Savory Recipes

Butternut Squash Lasagne with Fresh Sage & Thyme

Posted by Ari on December 27, 2008 in My Recipes, Savory Recipes | 88 Comments
Print This Post Print This Post | Enjoy this post? Subscribe to Baking and Books.

Butternut Squash Lasagne

There’s something about one-dish meals that is so perfect for wintertime. Maybe it’s the rich aroma that fills your home, or the anticipation of the hot meal to come. Or perhaps it’s the simplicity of enjoying bowls of soup, or slices of baked pasta, while the chilly wind whips around outside. Whatever it is, it feels good. And tastes good too.

A one-dish comfort meal was exactly what I needed earlier this week, when it was snowing, icing and downright cold here in Connecticut. I needed something to warm the spirit, something we could eat at the kitchen table while looking at the falling snow and feeling lucky that we were in here, instead of out there. So I asked my husband to make one of his specialties: butternut squash lasagne. And yes I do mean “lasagne” and not “lasagna,” because believe it or not, American colloquial usage has it all wrong. “Lasagna” is the term for one sheet of pasta, while “lasagne” (plural for “lasagna”) is the correct term for eating more than one sheet – which is exactly what you’re doing when enjoying those luscious layers of pasta, cheeses, sauce and fillings. I wasn’t aware of this until recently, but there it is. :)

Thankfully it didn’t take much convincing to get my husband into the kitchen. Once the idea of lasagne had been planted, he wanted it just as much as I did! I helped a little by combining the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan and herbs, but really this was his show. He made the besciamella (better known by its French name, béchamel) while the squash cooked, then assembled the layers of lasagne while I stood by, taking notes for this blog post. An hour later the flavorful lasagne you see here emerged from the oven, all oozy and irresistible. It was the sort of thing you’d expect to find in a fancy restaurant, but we enjoyed our slices at a cozy dinner table, with the wind blowing outside, and candle flames flickering between us. Take that, winter.

—————————–

December Books Don’t forget about the monthly book giveaway! December’s books include one copy each of “Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Life,” by Jamie Oliver (donated by Hyperion Books) and “The Weekend Baker: Irresistible Recipes, Simple Techniques, and Stress-Free Strategies for Busy People”, by Abigail Johnson Dodge.



Butternut Squash Lasagne with Fresh Sage & Thyme (My husband’s recipe)

Ingredients:

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 1/2 cups diced yellow onion
  • 2 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
  • 1 3/4 cups vegetable broth
  • 4 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, divided use
  • 4 tablespoons chopped fresh sage, divided use
  • 2 15oz containers of ricotta
  • 4 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided use
  • 1 cup shredded Parmesan, divided use
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 biscotti cookies (not sweet ones, we used almond & walnut biscotti with a hint of anise flavoring)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 10oz package no-boil lasagna noodles

    • For béchamel:

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 3/4 cups whole milk
  • Pinch of nutmeg
  • Salt and pepper to taste

    • Equipment: 9 x 13 inch baking dish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large pot or dutch oven. Add onion and cook over medium heat until soft, about 10 minutes. Raise heat to high and continue to cook, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

In the same pot, add the sliced squash, vegetable broth, 3 tablespoons of thyme and 3 tablespoons sage. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender, about 20 minutes.

While squash is cooking, in a medium bowl combine ricotta, 2 cups of mozzarella, 1/2 cup Parmesan and the remaining 1 tablespoon thyme and 1 tablespoon sage. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the eggs and mix well. Set aside.

When squash is done, cool slightly and remove 3/4 cup of the excess liquid (1 cup if there is an excessive amount of liquid). Transfer to food processor. Break the biscotti in half and add to the processor. Blend until smooth, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking frequently. Whisk in the nutmeg. This sauce is called “béchamel” and it’s done when it coats the back of a spoon. (Make the bechamel just before assembling the lasagna, if it sits too long it will develop a skin).

Now it is time to assemble the lasagna. Coat the bottom of your baking dish with 1/2 of the béchamel. Then layer the rest of the lasagna as follows:

  • 1/3 of the ricotta mixture
  • Noodles (make sure they are not overlapping)
  • 1/3 of the squash mixture
  • 1/2 of the onions
  • 1/3 of the remaining mozzarella
  • 1/3 of the ricotta mixture
  • Noodles
  • 1/3 of the squash mixture
  • 1/2 of the onions
  • 1/3 of the ricotta mixture
  • 1/3 of the mozzarella
  • Rest of the béchamel
  • Noodles
  • Remaining squash mixture

Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan over the top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes. Then remove the aluminum foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese is completely melted and starting to color a bit.

Remove from oven and allow to rest for about 10 minutes.

Other Posts You Might Like:




88 Comments



Leave a reply

Add your comment below, or trackback from your own site. You can also subscribe to these comments via RSS.

Be nice. Keep it clean. Stay on topic. No spam.

You can use these tags:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

This is a Gravatar-enabled weblog. To get your own globally recognized avatar, please register at Gravatar.

Welcome to Baking and Books
Baking and Books features recipes & book reviews with culinary history sprinkled throughout. Many recipes are baking related but I give general cookery plenty of attention as well. :)

Twitter | Wishlist | Playlist | Pandora | Good Reads | Contact
I also write for About.com
Tweet Tweet
  • Much as I miss sleeping, I think it's really sweet how our 3-wk old baby loves to sleep on my chest, all cuddled up and warm. 3 hrs ago
  • More updates...
Our Baby Is Here!
Lilypie First Birthday tickers
Baby wishlists: Amazon | BuyBuyBaby
Categories
My Book Reviews
Ariela's book recommendations, reviews, favorite quotes, book clubs, book trivia, book lists
Archives
Food Blogs I Enjoy
Misc Bits

blog advertising is good for you