Rustic Acorn Squash Lasagna With Browned Butter Sauce
This recipe is my second entry in the Foodista Best of the Food Blogs Cookbook contest. The other one is my Meyer Lemon Sorbet. As Donkey says in the movie Shrek, "Pick me! Pick me!" if you are so inclined. Thanks! You may have already noticed that I love squash. It is the perfect comfort food and is synonymous with Fall and Winter. I am a huge fan of butternut squash lasagna, however, it is a very rich dish that is sometimes a bit too sweet. It also makes enough for 8 to 10 people and there are only 2 of us. I decided to create a lasagna that I could make in small portions that would also be elegant to serve for a dinner party should I want to make it in larger amounts. This also would avoid the problem of leftovers that are not always so good with butternut squash lasagna. This is a beautiful and yes, rich dish, however, the portion is a nice size. I made the dish using Barilla's no boil lasagna noodles which makes a square portion approximately 3 1/2 x 4 inches. You could, of course, make your own pasta, however, these are easier and are delicious in the dish. Since there are a number of steps involved, my suggestion would be to make the fillings ahead, soak the noodles and then make the béchamel. Once you have assembled the lasagna and your dish is baking, gather the ingredients to make the butter sauce. You can then top the lasagna with the butter sauce, freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano and serve it for a romantic dinner for 2 or a dinner party for 6. I have made the recipe so that it should be easy to cut the ingredients in half (to serve 2) or add extra servings, as needed. By the way, this dish has the major thumbs up and the ultimate hubby stamp of approval. That is generally the highest compliment (because he is incredibly picky!), so I hope you will enjoy this as much as he does! Buon Appetito!
Total Steps
7
Ingredients
22
Tools Needed
9
Ingredients
- 2 whole small acorn squash
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- pinch freshly grated nutmeg(optional)
- 2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Asiago cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt(optional)
- 1 clove small garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 5 tablespoons flour
- 5 cups whole milk
- 1 leaf fresh Bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
- 8 noodles Barilla no boil lasagna noodles
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 12 leaves sage, chopped
- Parmesan Reggiano(optional)
Instructions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Place the squash halves upside down in a baking dish with about 1 inch of water. Bake until the flesh is cooked through. Turn the squash right side up and cool enough to handle. Scoop out the cooked flesh into a bowl and mix with the remaining acorn squash filling ingredients. Set aside.
Step 2
Mix all ricotta cheese filling ingredients together in a bowl and set aside. Refrigerate if necessary.
Step 3
Melt butter in a pan over low heat. Add minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add flour and cook, whisking, for 3 minutes. Slowly add milk in a stream, whisking constantly. Add the bay leaf and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook, whisking frequently, until thickened and reduced. Add Kosher salt and white pepper. Discard the bay leaf. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl large enough to dip lasagna sheets. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to use.
Step 4
Place lasagna noodles in a Pyrex dish. Boil water and pour over the noodles to cover them, ensuring they are gently separated to prevent sticking. Let sit until pliable. Remove and place on a kitchen towel until ready to use, then cover.
Step 5
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease a baking dish, large enough for the assembled lasagna, with butter. Cut lasagna noodles in half. Dip each noodle half completely in béchamel sauce. Place a béchamel-coated noodle half in the baking dish and top with about 2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons of ricotta mixture (do not spread completely as it will spread during baking). Repeat with another béchamel-coated noodle half, placing it on top of the cheese, then spread with about 2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons of squash mixture. Dip another noodle half in béchamel, place on top of the squash, and top with another 2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons of ricotta mixture. Finish the lasagna with one more béchamel-coated noodle half. You can use a bit more béchamel on top if desired.
Step 6
Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil, ensuring the dish is deep enough so the foil does not touch the top of the lasagna. Bake until heated through. Let the lasagna rest while preparing the browned butter sauce. Note: A little cheese may spread out from the lasagna; simply scoop it up with the lasagna when serving.
Step 7
Melt butter in a pan over low heat. Add chopped sage and stir, cooking until the butter is almost browned. Pour the browned butter sauce over the lasagna and serve with additional grated Parmesan Reggiano.