I love a seasonal version of a favorite dish. This is a hearty and delicious vegetarian lasagna that even meat-eaters will enjoy. Serve it with a big side salad and a slice of garlic bread.
My normal lasagna is pretty similar to most; noodles, cheese, red sauce. I don't add any meat to my lasagna, but I do like to add a layer of sauteed zucchini and onions to the pan (which is delicious, I must say). But this version is quite different, very tasty, and feels a little fancy. I highly recommend you give it a try, maybe even for a holiday dinner!
Watch Me Make It
The Recipe
Ingredients
1/2 pkg of no-cook lasagna noodles (6 noodles)
2+ cup shredded mozzarella
1 cup shredded gruyere
1 medium butternut squash, halved, seeded, and roasted until soft. Cooled slightly.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 cups of kale, thick stems removed
2 Vidalia onions, sliced thin
Salt & Pepper
Fresh thyme
4 cups milk
1-2 Bay leaves
4 TBSP flour (1/4 cup)
Nutmeg
1/4-1 tsp red pepper flakes depending on how much heat you like (optional) This dish isn't meant to be spicy, but a little warmth enhances the flavors.
For Garnish
Fresh parsley
Shredded or slivered parmesan cheese
Instructions
Roast your butternut squash. Roughly mash it. I like to keep it a little chunky. Add a little salt and pepper. Note - if your squash is really dry, add a splash of water or vegetable broth.
Prep your kale: In a stock pot or soup pot, drizzle in some olive oil over low-medium heat. Add in 3-4 cloves of garlic (minced), stir it around, and cook for about a minute, until it becomes fragrant. Add in kale and stir around. You may consider adding a splash of water if it feels like the garlic is going to burn. Cook until the kale is tender. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Prep your onion: In the same pan, over low-medium heat, add some oil, add the onion, salt, pepper (to taste) and a sprig of fresh thyme. Cook the onions low and slow until they becomes soft and caramelized. Again, add a little splash of water as needed to prevent burning. Once caramelized, add to the kale and combine. Set aside.
Make your 'bechamel' sauce: Clean out your pot, add in a small drizzle of olive oil and 1 clove of garlic (minced). Cook for a minute or so until fragrant. Add in 3 1/2 cups milk and the bay leaf. Slowly warm until the milk begins to bubble. Whisk flour into the remaining 1/2 cup milk. Slowly pour the thickened milk into the rest and continue to whisk while you bring the sauce up to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook and whisk for 5-10 minutes until it thickens. Remove the bay leaf, add a sprinkle of salt, a few grinds of black pepper, a few grates of nutmeg, and the red pepper flakes. Stir in the gruyere cheese.
Assemble: In an oiled 8x8 square pan, scoop in about 1 cup of the bechamel. Place in 2 noodles. Then layer in half the squash, half the kale/onion mixture, and sprinkle on about 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat 2 more noodles, 1 cup sauce, remaining squash, remaining kale/onion, 1/3 of the mozzarella. Then top with the last 2 noodles, the 1+ cup of sauce, and the remaining mozzarella. Feel free to also add some parmesan or gruyere.
Bake: Tent the lasagna with aluminum foil and bake for about 40 minutes at 425F. Check for doneness. Cook a few minutes longer if the noodles feel a little too firm.
Broil: Remove the foil and broil the lasagna to add a little brownness to the top layer of cheese.
Serve: Let it cool for a few minutes, then serve with parsley and parmesan.
Enjoy.
Note: I put Bachamel in quotes because this isn't exactly a classic bachamel sauce. Typically it would contain a lot of butter which would be used along with the flour to make a roux. The method I used skips the butter but is equally delicious. Feel free to make it the traditional way if you prefer.
Variations
Try a breaded topping. Mix a cup of breadcrumb or panko with a TBSP of olive oil and some grated parmesan. Sprinkle over the top before the BROIL step. Broil until lightly browned.
If you want a little more cheese, include a 15 oz container of ricotta cheese. Add 1/2 of the container on top of the first and second sets of noodles. If you want even more cheese, add a cup of parmesan to the ricotta before adding it to the lasagna
Don't have butternut squash? Use a couple of acorn squash.
Don't have kale? Use spinach, Swiss chard, or other green. Just be sure you cook it up well to remove some of the residual moisture.
Add a mushroom layer to the mix. Similar to the greens, be sure you cook them first to remove moisture.
Leftover Ingredients?
Since the measurements for this recipe are loosey-goosey, you might find you have some leftover ingredients. This is what I would would do with them.
Bechamel - if you have some leftover bachamel, you can freeze it or simply refrigerate it for later. You can use it to make a sausage gravy that is out of this world. Simply cook up a little sausage in a cast iron skillet (I use veggie sausage), then add in the leftover sauce. Cook until warm and serve over homemade biscuits!
Kale & Onions - if you have some kale mixture remaining, use it in and omelet or quiche.
Squash - add any remaining squash into some veggie broth and make an autumn inspired vegetable soup.
Other Butternut Squash Recipes
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