Fall flavors are back with a vengeance! Well, not so much a vengeance as a delicate “ahem” with this dish. I made this for Valentine’s Day last year when my former roommate Beth and I had a fun single-gals dinner and drinks night. Beth was in town this past weekend and somehow this lasagna got brought up in conversation, and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head since (thanks, Beth!). Thankfully the flavors are über-autumnal and since I’m a big fan lately of making a dinner on Sunday I can literally eat all week, this fit the bill perfectly.

This lasagna is deliciously deceiving. You hear lasagna and you think mountains of cheese, meat, pasta, sauce, etc. But this vegetarian version is actually pretty light and delicate (well, as delicate as lasagna can be) and not that bad calorie-wise. Sweet and savory butternut squash puree and basil béchamel is layered with yummy fresh pasta sheets and mozzarella cheese to balance it out. I think it’s best served with a nice bitter salad, like endive or raddichio, dressed simply with good balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.

Butternut Squash Lasagna

Loosely based on Giada deLaurentis’s recipe.

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 (1½ to 2lb) butternut squash, split in half and deseeded
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups 2% milk
• Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• ¾ cup (loosely packed) fresh basil leaves
• 3-4 very large fresh lasagna sheets (I get the Cucina Fresca kind from Whole Foods but if you can’t find fresh lasagna sheets, just use 12 no-boil sheets)
• 2 ½ cups shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

1.) Preheat the oven to 375° F with rack in center of the oven.

2.) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Salt and pepper the flesh of the squash and lay seasoned-side down on the baking sheet. Pour ½ cup water around the squash and roast 45-60 minutes until soft and easily pierced with a paring knife. Let cool slightly. Scoop out the flesh and add to the bowl of a food processor, giving it a quick whiz to smooth it out.  Feel free to add some milk or water to get it smooth. Taste for seasoning. Transfer to a bowl and rinse out the food processor.

3.) Meanwhile, in a heavy medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk 1 minute until it smells toasty and nutty. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking as you do so, to combine.

4.) Bring the milk to a low boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat and simmer until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the nutmeg and then take off the burner.

5.) Add the basil to the bowl of your food processor and pulse until finely minced. Transfer about half the sauce to the food processor and pulse until well combined and smooth. Pour the basil sauce back into the original pot and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

6.) Lightly butter or spray a 13×9 baking dish and spread ¾ cup of the sauce on the bottom. Arrange lasagna noodles (fresh or dry) to cover as much as possible, then spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles (an off-set spatula does this marvelously since the puree is kind of hard to spread over the noodles). Sprinkle ½ cup of the mozzarella over the puree, then drizzle another ½ cup of the sauce. Repeat 3 more times.

7.) Tightly cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake 40 minutes (warning, your kitchen will begin to smell too amazing for words towards the end).

8.) Remove the foil and sprinkle the remaining cup of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese over the top, then bake an additional 15 minutes until that awesome, amazing bubbly crispy crust happens.

9.) Let stand 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Note: This can easily be made in advance and then frozen for future use. Just add the mozzarella and Parmesan you would normally add at the end before you freeze it.

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