Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion and Spinach Lasagna
- Total Time
- 3 hours 15 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1large butternut squash
- 6tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 3red onions, medium, julienned
- 1pound part-skim ricotta cheese
- 2tablespoons rosemary, chopped
- 2eggs
- 1½cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 3tablespoons unsalted butter
- Scant ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 3½cups whole milk
- Pinch nutmeg
- 1bag chopped frozen spinach (1-pound), defrosted and drained
- 6sheets fresh pasta, or no-boil lasagna noodles
- Salt
- Pepper
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
446 calories; 26 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 35 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 20 grams protein; 802 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Roast the butternut squash. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut squash in half lengthwise; remove seeds. Place in roasting pan and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Place in oven and cook until soft all the way through, about 1 hour. Set aside until cool. When cooled, remove skin and place in food processor. Purée until smooth, season with salt and pepper to taste, and set aside.
- Step 2
To caramelize the onions: Place 3 tablespoons of olive oil in sauté pan. Heat until hot but not smoking; add onions. Toss to coat with oil. Turn heat down to medium and cook until onions are soft and browned, about 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Step 3
Prepare a ricotta cheese mixture. Mix ricotta cheese, chopped rosemary, eggs, half the grated Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Step 4
Make a spinach Mornay sauce. Melt butter in a saucepan, add flour and stir. Cook 2 minutes. Add milk and stir until it comes to a boil. Add the rest of the grated Parmesan, the nutmeg and the defrosted spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Step 5
Assemble the dish. Spray a 9” x 13” pan with cooking spray. Spread 1 cup of the spinach sauce on the bottom of the pan. Cover with a layer of fresh pasta sheets. Spread half of the roasted butternut squash on top of the pasta sheets. Top with another layer of pasta sheets. Spread ricotta cheese mixture on top of pasta sheets, and spread caramelized onion on top of ricotta mixture. Cover with an additional layer of pasta sheets. Top with the other half of the butternut purée and then another layer of pasta. Finish by using the rest of the spinach Mornay sauce for the top layer. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Uncover and cook for 15 minutes more.
Private Notes
Comments
This is a solid recipe and the end result was delicious. If I make this again there are a few things I'd do differently. 1) salt every component generously. 2) scoop the roasted butternut squash out of its skin instead of trying to "take off the skin" as the recipe suggests. 3) stop short of completely pureeing the squash. It wasn't the best texture. 4) change the butter/flour ratio to equal parts for the sauce. You end up with a dough for your roux w/ their instructions. I had to redo it.
Roast a whole garlic with the squash and squeeze garlic into mashed squash to liven up the taste of this lasagna. Also be sure to caramelized the onions well.
I enjoyed this recipe but I took a note from others that the flavor and texture needed help. I added garlic to the puree, and salted everything generously. For the sauce I added additional white cheddar and a bit of dry white wine. Finally, I added a bread crumb top. I melted a couple tbs. of butter then threw in 1-2 tbs. of chopped sage to fry for just a minute. Once it crisped, I added 1 c. of bread crumbs. I spread it all across the top of the lasagna and baked as instructed. Delicious!
@Rob 2nd time making it I julienned the onions and yes, they caramelized in 25-30 min.
This recipe got me plenty of accolades when I made it for a holiday party, thank goodness because it took a whole day in the kitchen to come together. Delicious and interesting flavors. Followed commentor suggestions to include onion and garlic roasted with the squash. Tripled the recipe and it took about 80 min for my onions to fully caramelize
Good recipe, don’t let the multiple steps dissuade you as this is a winner for all, not just vegetarians. Agree with all commenters who suggest additional seasoning at each step; roasted garlic was a winner, we added zest of one lemon to the ricotta mixture. Echoing one comment, if you have a deeper 9x 13 use it. We used Supermarket brand no boil noodles and used about a dozen, they were fine. Finally, use four red onions bc there’s nothing wrong with too much caramelized onion.