| butternut lasagna |

A few weeks ago, my dear facebook friends convinced me that the only way to make a decent mac n' cheese on the stovetop was to start with a roux and proceed through a sort of bechamel situation. I'm really just throwing around terms, here. I don't know what I'm talking about. But I made it up as I went and the mac n' cheese turned out fabuloso. 


Today, a facebook friend was asking for good butternut squash recipes and I was remembering with great fondness a butternut squash lasagna that my MIL has made for us a few times. Not having the recipe, but having a serious craving, I set about to make some version of it myself. Armed with my newfound ability to do the whole roux/bechamel/cheese sauce thing, I rocked it out pretty hard core.


BUTTERNUT LASAGNA
Note: This is vegetarian, but if you're into meat, I'd recommend some chicken.
Note part deux: No, this is not technically a lasagna...but it's so much easier to work with and I really like the consistency that happens with the egg noodles. If you must have a true lasagna, then I'd recommend layering the noodles, sauteed vegs, cheese sauce, and squash puree separately. 

8-10 oz uncooked egg noodles

16 oz of butternut squash, pureed (either microwave or roast and then puree)

1 onion, diced

small bunch of broccolini, chopped finely (or about 2 cups of chopped broccoli)

8 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed in the microwave

2 large carrots, grated

1 large or 2 small zucchini, grated

4-5 mushrooms, diced small

1 head of garlic, minced (yes, one HEAD, not one clove)

gobs and gobs of olive oil

a little flour

some whole milk or cream

all your favorite cheeses – I used about a cup of ricotta, a cup of parmesan, and a cup of mozzarella

salt and pepper

dried Italian seasoning

1)    Preaheat your oven to 350 and set your milk on the counter to warm it up.

2)    Boil your noodles very al dente (I cooked mine for just 5 minutes), drain, and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

3)    Prep all your veggies, including the squash puree. If you’re lucky enough to have a grocery store that carries frozen pureed squash, you’re in real luck. We used to, but then they punked out on us.

4)    Put about a tablespoon of olive oil into a saucepan (or, to save pans, just use the stockpot you did your pasta in since it’s now sitting out). Add about two cloves of garlic, minced. Saute the onions until they start to soften, then add the broccolini and sauté a few more minutes, then the grated carrot and zucchini and mushrooms. Throw in a little S&P and the Italian seasoning. Turn off the heat when they start to look cookedish.

5)    In a saucepan, heat about ¼ cup olive oil with the remaining minced garlic. Inhale deeply. When it’s warm, add about 2-3 tablespoons of flour, whisking constantly, until it starts to turn a golden color. Slowly add in your milk, about a cup at a time, stirring constantly. The sauce will start to thicken. Add more flour and more milk until you end up with about 2-3 cups of gravy-consistency goodness. Add some pepper. Add in your parmesan and mozzarella. Stir. Taste it and be happy.

6)    Stir the butternut puree and ricotta into the sautéed veggie mixture. Add in the cheese sauce, reserving about a cup for the top of your lasagna. Add in the cooked egg noodles.

7)    Dump the whole mixture into a big casserole. Top with the remaining cheese sauce and some sprinkles of parmesan. If you add some cracked pepper and Italian seasoning to the top, it’ll be prettier.

8)    Bake for about 30-45 minutes. Let it rest for a few minutes before cutting into it.