Butternut squash lasagna

The cornerstone to last weekend's fall dinner party was butternut squash lasagna.  I apologize for the mediocrity of this photo; I always forget to take pictures when people are serving themselves and eating.  These two pieces were all that remained at the end of the meal.  I highly recommend making it for vegetarians and carnivores alike at Thanksgiving or any time of year.  I would have no problem serving it to Natalie Portman, and I am confident that I would win that particular Top Chef elimination challenge, hands down.

I have a great fondness for recipes with surprising secret ingredients, and this lasagna (recipe by the dependable Giada De Laurentiis) has a fabulous one: cookies.  OMG READ ON.  Notes in italics are by me.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes  <-- Err on the side of too much b.n. squash.  If you use the bare minimum, the lasagna seems pointless, like "what else is in here besides noodles, sauce, and cheese?"
  
• salt
• pepper
• 3 amaretti cookies, crumbled  <-- Unable to find these, ever, like me?  Use a few bashed almond biscotti, or if you're really in a spot like I was last week, go with 5 or 6 crushed Pepperidge Farm's ginger men.  I thought those tasted even better than the biscotti, plus they're nut-free.
• 4 T butter
  
• 1/4 C flour
• 3 1/2 C whole milk
• 1 pinch nutmeg 
• 3/4 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves 
• 12 lasagna noodles (oven ready or no-boil type)  <-- These are a joy to work with.
• 2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella 
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

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. While this is cooking, get going on the sauce.  Cool slightly and then transfer the squash to a food processor. Or just mash it with a potato masher.  Add the amaretti cookies and blend until smooth. Season the squash puree, to taste, with more salt and pepper.  It should be delightfully sweet and salty.

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.  Marvel over how awesome your green sauce looks.  Green!  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.  They will expand a bit while baking, but they won't grow enough to reach the ends on the dish.  Don't take it personally.  Spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles.  Note how easy it is to spread things on hard, uncooked lasagna noodles.  It's more like playing with Lincoln Logs, especially putting the green planks on the roof, which is the most satisfying part of L.L. construction.  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.

Serves 12 (one piece each).

Side note: you can freeze this before baking, taking it out a couple of days ahead of time so it can thaw in the refrigerator.  You can also cut the recipe in half and put it in one of those cute, smaller glass baking dishes that sometimes come nested inside those big 9x13s. 

 

Above: our cross-eyed beauty.

Comments

[melinda]

I think I speak for a nation of perverts when I say I don't think I'd have a problem serving Natalie Portman anything: anytime, any place. God Bless America.

[Caroline]

Good lord, could the contestants have all made LESS appetizing vegetarian food? This looks delicious, and the cross-eyed cat only helps.

[Kelly]

I thought of you, Caroline, during that challenge. That leek idea was so lame.

[allie]

i almost peed my pants when i the cross eyed kitty picture

[Kelly]

Get a load of this:
http://alizarine.typepad.com/.a/6a011278ffd49328a40120a5dbb82d970c-pi

[bj]

Just in time. I was getting mighty tired of reg lasagna (marinara, meat, ricotta, etc.).

[Kelly]

It's so good, bj. Fascinating too! I can't get over the fact that it looks like lasagna, and the texture is the same, but it tastes like something completely different.

[Stevin George]

Kelly, two questions.
Would using crushed basil leaves suffice for the bichamel? Additionally, where would a college student go to get BN on the cheap?
Thanks! That cross-eyed feline is all types of ridiculous!