Squish Squash Lasagna

Two things happened this week of note... a friend asked me when I was going to start blogging again and I came up with a new recipe that many asked me to share... so here it is...

I posted last fall my recipe for Butternut Squash risotto, and while it is one of our family faves, we had an over abundance of squash this year and I wanted to come up with something different. I turned to my favorite tv chef, Giada deLaurentiis and found her recipe for Butternut squash lasagna. This is my spin on her recipe... and it was DELICIOUS...

Squish Squash Lasagna

2 tbs olive oil
1 1/2-2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
salt & pepper
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp curry powder (I used fresh from my herb garden)
red pepper flakes, a pinch or more to taste
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
3 1/2 cups milk (I used skim)
pinch of nutmeg
3/4 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
12 or so no boil lasagna noodles
large container of ricotta cheese
2 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat.  Add squash to the pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir to coat the squash with the oil.  Add water to the pan, cover and simmer until squash is tender, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, melt butter in another large saucepan. Add the flour and whisk for about a minute. Slowly whisk in the milk.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often until the sauce thickens nicely.  Whisk in the nutmeg. Transfer 2 cups of the sauce to the food processor, add the basil leaves and blend until smooth (I used my immersion blender for this!) Return to pot with the sauce and stir until well combined. Keep warm. When the squash is tender, add the crushed red pepper flakes, cumin and curry.  Blend in blender (again, I used my immersion blender) until squash is a smooth puree.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter a 13x9 inch baking pan. Spread about 3/4 cup of the white sauce in the bottom of the pan. Place three noodles over the sauce. Spread a thick layer of ricotta cheese over the noodles. Spread 1/3 of the squash mixture over the ricotta. Spread 1/3 of the white sauce over the squash and sprinkle with some mozzarella. Repeat this process 2 more times, sprinkling the top of the final layer with a good amount of mozzarella. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes until the top is golden and bubbly. Let cool for 15-20 minutes before serving and enjoy!

Yup... I'm back! :D