1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, ~6 cups when cubed (We only had the one butternut squash, which was probably only 3 1/2 cups cubed and it still added a subtle but beautiful flavor to the lasagna. If you're a huge butternut squash fan, then do add all 6 cups!)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
2 cups milk, whole or 2%
Salt & Pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp nutmeg
15 oz ricotta cheese, whole milk or part skim
12 lasagna noodles, cooked al dente (We used ready for the oven noodles. Always a fun experiment, but you will need 12 for just two layers. The original recipe is for 3)
8 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
- Peel and cube the butternut squash.
- Cook in a large pot of boiling water until soft (~8 min, depending on how ripe the squash is)
- Puree in food processor or blender and set aside. (My poor blender was drowning a bit under the weight of the butternut squash, so depending on your blender's strength, you may need to scrape the sides a bit to get everything evenly pureed.)
- Heat butter and flour in a saucepan over medium-high heat until slightly golden brown.
- Add milk slowly, whisking vigorously to avoid lumps. Bring to a boil to thicken and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
- Allow to thicken at boil then decrease heat.
- Stir in ricotta and stir until smooth. (Voila la sauce bechamelle!)
- Layer noodles on the bottom of a greased 9 x 13" glass casserole/baking dish.
- Spread with 1/4 (if making three layers) or 1/2 (if making two layers) of the butternut squash, then top with 1/4 or 1/2 of the bechamel.
- Repeat for desired number of layers, then spread shredded mozzarella over the top.
- Cover with foil. (Don't forget or the mozzarella and ends of your pasta will burn!)
- Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
- Serves about 6 people (even with two college aged boys...)