Serves a Crowd

Roasted Carrot and Butternut Squash Lasagna

September 29, 2011
4
3 Ratings
  • Serves 8-10
Author Notes

I love the combination of salty and sweet in many forms. I also love how many different variations of lasagna you can make. This is a great fall variation that's perfect for Thanksgiving (particularly if you have vegetarians), an American twist on lasagna. I'm not a fan of ricotta in general, so I usually find a way to make lasagna without it. However, if that's your thing, you can always add ricotta to the cheese mix. To make it veggie, just use vegetable stock instead of the chicken stock. —Meatballs&Milkshakes

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Ingredients
  • 1 butternut squash, chopped into 1" dice
  • 1 bunch carrots, chopped into 1" dice
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 tablespoon real maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 4 tablespoons flour, AP or whole wheat
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 12 sage leaves, chopped
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 2 amaretti cookies
  • 1 1/2 cups grated Italian fontina or sharp, aged pecorino
  • 1 cup grated parmesan or pecorino
  • 1 package lasagna noodles, regular or whole wheat
  • 18 basil leaves
Directions
  1. Combine the squash, carrots, half the olive oil, brown sugar, half the nutmeg, maple syrup, half the salt and pepper on a sheet tray. Roast at 450 degrees for 45-50 minutes, until it starts to caramelize.
  2. Meanwhile, make the bechamel by combining the flour and butter in a pan for a couple minutes. Add the milk and the remainder of the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Whisk until it starts to thicken. Remove from heat.
  3. Combine the roasted vegetables with the remainder of the olive oil, amaretti, and sage leaves in a blender. Blend into a thick puree. You can thin it out with the stock until it's the right consistency, but don't make it too watery.
  4. Put a thin layer of the vegetable puree on the bottom of a buttered lasagna pan. Put a layer of noodles and then a layer of puree and a layer of bechemel sauce. Sprinkle some of each grated cheese on top and spread out some basil leaves. Continue to layer in the same order until you have finished the puree and bechemel. Sprinkle more cheese over the top and drizzle some additional olive oil over the top. Bake covered with aluminum foil for 40 minutes at 450 degrees. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes until bubbling. Let cool 10 minutes until serving.

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I'm an ex-finance, nonprofit fundraiser by day and a (mostly) Italian cook and blogger by night. I love having friends over for dinner and my favorite evenings are when we spend them at home together cooking dinner and chatting. I'm an avid cooking show fan, and my favorite eating cities are New York, San Francisco, Paris, and Rome.

12 Reviews

Lizthechef October 5, 2011
I'm saving this one - but not for long because I have a huge butternut squash in the vegetable bin. Thanks for a "keeper".
Meatballs&Milkshakes October 6, 2011
You're welcome! Hope you enjoy it!
HandRocksLadle October 3, 2011
Wow! Made this last night for family and friends and the reviews were fantastic! What a rich and delicious dish. I served with French Onion Soup, so with two vegetarian dishes, I didn't feel too bad about all the cheese we ate :0) This will definitely be a new fall staple!
Meatballs&Milkshakes October 6, 2011
Glad you liked it!!
boulangere October 2, 2011
Jenny's Creamy Homemade Ricotta would be lovely in this heavenly dish.
Meatballs&Milkshakes October 2, 2011
I agree!
sexyLAMBCHOPx September 30, 2011
This looks delicious. I would add some crumbled cook sage sausage to suit my need for meet. On this list to make soon!
Meatballs&Milkshakes September 30, 2011
Love the addition, sounds very tasty! We had a meat-heavy week, so this was supposed to be the light dinner!!!
aargersi September 30, 2011
The really sounds delicious, and very - fallish! Is that a word?
Meatballs&Milkshakes September 30, 2011
definitely a word...at least around my house....
Niknud September 30, 2011
So I am a member in good standing of the 'meat should be in lasagna' club. But....this one might be too good to pass up!
Meatballs&Milkshakes September 30, 2011
I've made this side-by-side with a meat version for dinner parties, and it was an even heat!