now that it’s winter and butternut squash is in the stores again, i can finally share one of my all time favorite recipes with you – yep, you guessed it from the title – butternut squash lasagna. ever since mike and i stumbled across it in the april 2006 vegetarian times, it’s held a very special place in our hearts and stomachs. it’s so delicious, and it pleases such a wide audience of eaters that we make all the time in the winter and spring. i can’t imagine going back to regular lasagna after eating this dish – it’s that good.
butternut squash lasagna goes against all preconceived notions of lasagna – it’s filling but light, savory but also sweet, contains no tomato sauce, uses very few ingredients, and it is incredibly versatile to boot. for example: you could use bake-in-pan lasagna noodles or use the regular kind that you boil first. you could also bake a whole butternut squash in the oven, or purchase ready to use cubed and peeled butternut squash (trader joe’s has this for most of the winter and spring), or use frozen butternut squash puree (i’ve personally never been able to find this, although it’s what the original recipes suggested). you could also double the recipe to make a full 9×13 pan to serve a crowd, or follow the directions below to create about six servings.
no matter how you decide to make the lasagna, you cannot go wrong – the flavor and texture of the different layers are impressive. mike and i have made this lasagna for more family events than we can even count, and it pleases every palate – from the vegetarians (who are always appreciative of a veggie dish at a potluck), to the omnivores (who do not miss meat when they eat this dish, which is a huge compliment for a vegetarian chef!), to the family members with food sensitivities to onions and garlic (hi, mom :) – who enjoy the full flavor of this dish that does not rely on onions and garlic for flavor). so no matter who you’re cooking for this winter and spring, make this dish – trust me, you (and the people eating it) will love it!
butternut squash lasagna
adapted from vegetarian times, april 2006 yields 6 servings
- 24oz butternut squash or 4c puree (you’ll either need to buy butternut squash and then cook and puree it, or buy prepared, cubed squash and nuke it and then puree it in a blender, or buy frozen puree and thaw it)
- 1½t salt
- 1/2t dried rubbed sage
- 1/2t ground black pepper
- 15oz part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1/2c grated parmesan cheese
- 12 short no-cook lasagna noodles or regular lasagna noodles, cooked according to packaged directions
- preheat oven to 400º and grease an 8×8 baking dish
- combine squash puree, 1t salt, sage, and 1/4t pepper in medium bowl and mix well
- in another bowl, combine ricotta, 1/4c parmesan, 1/2t salt and 1/4t pepper and mix well
- place three noodles in bottom of dish baking dish, overlapping slightly
- spread half of squash mixture over noodles
- layer three more noodles on top, and spread with half of ricotta mixture
- repeat layers (noodles, squash, noodles, ricotta), then sprinkle top ricotta layer with remaining 1/4c parmesan
- cover baking dish with foil and bake 45 minutes, then remove foil and bake 20 to 25 minutes more, or until golden on top, and enjoy!
for those of you still reading, i’ve got a quick side dish idea to serve with the lasagna. while at trader joe’s purchasing the cubed, peeled butternut squash, we also picked up prepared french green beans and sweet and spicy pecans. i sauteed the green beans in for about 3 minutes in some tangerine-infused olive oil (a fancy wedding present we were lucky enough to receive), threw in the sweet & spicy pecans for one minute longer, and voila, had a crunchy, crispy, spicy and sweet side dish to go with the lasagna!
