by monkeymom
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my 34 recipes »
monkeymom's Notes:
Expand1 butternut squash Ask a question about this ingredient
extra virgin olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient
salt Ask a question about this ingredient
Peel and dice the squash into 1/2 in cubes. Toss with olive oil and a generous sprinkling of salt.
Ask a question about this stepRoast squash cubes at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes, opening the oven and tossing them about with a large spatula once or twice. This part is nice, because I can leave the veggies in the oven to get nicely colored and carmelized on the edges and corners with minimal attention. The roasting really concentrates the flavors and gives the squash a nice bite. Set this aside.
Ask a question about this stepSeparately, saute onions and mushrooms with about 2 Tbsp of olive oil, salt, and pepper until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms slightly browned. Set this aside too.
Ask a question about this step4 tablespoons butter Ask a question about this ingredient
4 tablespoons all purpose flour Ask a question about this ingredient
3 garlic cloves, minced Ask a question about this ingredient
3-4 cups milk Ask a question about this ingredient
8 ounces ricotta cheese Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 cup parmesan cheese Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 pound no boil lasagna noodles Ask a question about this ingredient
3/4 pounds shredded mozzarella Ask a question about this ingredient
Melt and brown butter. This does takes a few minutes of attention to make sure it doesn't become overly burned. Remove from heat and let cool a couple of minutes.
Ask a question about this stepAdd 3 cloves of minced garlic and let stir to develop some garlicky aroma.
Ask a question about this stepPut back onto a burner with medium heat. Add 4 Tbsp of flour and use a wire whisk to quickly move the mixture around to cook the flour for 5 minutes or so.
Ask a question about this stepAdd about 3 cups of milk very slowly with lots of whisking. Add a bay leaf.
Ask a question about this stepSimmer for about 5-10 minutes until it thickens up. Add more milk or some chicken stock if it is getting too thick.
Ask a question about this stepAdd some salt, nutmeg, and pepper to taste. The bechamel is done. Be sure to remove that bay leaf. Set the bechamel aside.
Ask a question about this stepMix ricotta with about 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and about 1/2 cup of water to loosen it up. Don't skimp on the salt in this step otherwise the final product will feel bland. You can feel free to add some parsley, basil, or sage to this as well. Set aside.
Ask a question about this stepAssembly into a 9x13in square pan.
Ask a question about this stepStart with a few spoonfuls of Bechamel. Add about 1/4 cup of water to help soften no-boil noodles.
Ask a question about this stepAdd a layer of noodles.
Ask a question about this stepAdd half of mushroom mix and half of roasted butternut squash.
Ask a question about this steplayer with 1/3 of bechamel.
Ask a question about this steplayer with 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese.
Ask a question about this stepAdd another noodle layer
Ask a question about this stepadd ricotta mixture and rest of mushrooms and squash. Overly this with some bechamel and add another 1/4 cup of water for the no-boil noodles.
Ask a question about this stepadd another noodle layer
Ask a question about this stepadd rest of bechamel and mozzarella
Ask a question about this stepsprinkle top with additional parmesan cheese and a generous sprinkling of pinenuts.
Ask a question about this stepCovered tightly with some foil sprayed some canola oil or SPAM.
Ask a question about this stepInto a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
Ask a question about this stepTake off the foil. If the noodles are still looking very dry add about 1/2 cup of water over the top.
Ask a question about this stepCook another 20 minutes or until top is golden and bubbly.
Ask a question about this stepwhy would you ruin a nice vegetarian recipe by coating the foil with spam?
tee hee!
this is baking right now--can't wait for tonight's meal!
Brown butter bechamel -- now that is a fabulous concept. Oh the places you could go with that!
This sounds divine! I'm going to try it with kabocha (Japanese pumpkin). Yum.
Saturday morning, clean kitchen, and everyone asleep....what to do....make this rich, tasty lasagna of course! My husband decided the roasted squash was perfect for breakfast and I had to hide it until I could incorporate it into the dish. Did not have an onion handy so used several shallots instead - divine with the shitake mushrooms. We refrigerated the made-lasagna until dinner and invited friends at the last minute. Received rave reviews! Very rich, though, and a green leafy salad is a must as a side dish - in fact, probably should make the lasagna the side and have a huge plate of greens. I did not use the no-boil lasagna and added no additional water and it was perfect. Also, we didn't have enough mozzarella on hand so I mixed about half mozzarella and half grated sharp cheddar. Toasted the pine nuts before putting on top - delicious!
How cool is that! I'm so glad to hear that you tried this and it turned out well. I also always find that bechamel based baked pastas (with all that cheese!) are rich...but satisfying. Thanks for posting on the outcome!
The browned butter in this sounds like a great flavor!
Brilliant recipe. Thanks for sharing it.
This sounds delicious and we will be having it for dinner tonight! I am curious as to why you chose to cube the squash instead of cutting it in half and roasting it (as that requires a lot less effort). Is it for texture? Perhaps we will have it twice this week - one made each way! The mushrooms sound heavenly with the squash too.
Yes, indeed. Roasting the squash in cubes gives each a really nice caramelized texture and some bite. I think that roasting the whole squash makes for a much more mushy texture. I have also added roasted zucchini as well and it also caramelizes very nicely. The roasting really concentrates the flavors. Please let me know how it turns out!
I love the flavor of browned butter in a bechamel sauce - I did the same thing for my entry. It really adds some great depth to it! Great marriage with the butternut squash too. I'll have to try yours too - thanks for posting.
Your brussel sprout recipe sounds so good! I will definitely try it as well!
Thanks so much!!
Nozlee is the Assistant Editor of Food52.
Made this for Christmas dinner! Added some fresh thyme and sage and it was a huge hit!