Butternut Squash Lasagna by Giada DeLaurentiis

This lasagna is unlike anything I've ever had. It's creamy and delicious and tastes like Fall. Mmm. It does take a bit of work but I think it's worth it.

Ingredients:
1 T. olive oil
1 (1 1/2 to 2 lb) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c. water
3 amaretti cookies, crumbled (I've never used these)
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. all purpose flour
3 1/2 c. whole milk (I use whatever milk I happen to have and I think it still tastes great)
Pinch nutmeg
3/4 c. (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves
12 no-boil lasagna noodles (definitely use these. It helps cut down on the assembly time and I really like the texture of the no-boil noodles)
2 1/2 c. shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese
1/3 c. grated Parmesan

Serves 8-10
Full Recipe

This recipe has a ton of really great reviews, which is why I tried it in the first place. A number of people made some adjustments that I decided follow. Here is what I do differently.

As far as peeling and cutting fresh butternut squash...it's next to impossible and takes WAY too much time. I followed the advice from a reviewer and pre-heated the oven to 400 F, split the squash in half, seeded it, put it on a roasting pan cut side down, and topped it with a cup of water. Then I baked it for about 40 minutes until it was soft and the peel came right off. All you have to do is mix it with a spoon to get the consistency you want, which means no food processor. Plus, you can roast more than one squash at a time and just cube and freeze the extra for next time (which cuts down your prep time dramatically) or use it to make butternut squash soup!

I think I remember reading some reviews that complained about the lack of texture in the dish so I always sauté some onion and brown some mild Italian sausage (around 1/2 lb.) to mix in with the squash. I've also tried basil-chicken sausage, which was quite delicious (you can get it at the Sunflower Farmers Market). If you want to keep this vegetarian just use the onion.

Some people had issues with getting the sauce to thicken enough so they suggested using up to 1/2 c. of all purpose flour instead of 1/4 c. I generally use around 1/3 c. Also, definitely use fresh basil here. This dish would be significantly different and less delicious if you use something else.

Admittedly, the directions for assembling the lasagna are a little confusing.  The first time I made this I couldn't figure out how many layers there should be. But I think what confused me the most was what the top was supposed to be. I think the top (last) layer is supposed to just be noodles, sauce, and cheese. This would make sense because the directions say to use 1/3 of the squash in each layer, but you have 12 noodles to work with. Anyway, I hope that's not too confusing. Just layer the noodles, then the squash mixture, then the cheese, then the sauce until you've used everything up. And don't worry about measuring out each thing exactly like the directions say. It doesn't have to look perfect. It is lasagna and lasagna isn't supposed to be perfect. It's supposed to look rustic and hearty.

If you like butternut squash then you will love this. It's a perfect Fall/Winter lasagna. Buon appetito!