Butternut Squash Lasagna Barefoot Contessa Recipes

LASAGNA OF ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Steps:

• To assemble the lasagna:
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Using a vegetable peeler, remove the squash's hard shell. Trim about 1/2-inch off the top and bottom ends so you can set each section of the squash flat on a cutting board. Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop the seeds out with a spoon, and coarsely chop the squash into 1/2-inch chunks. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a bowl, toss the squash with the oil, sage, spice blend, and 1 teaspoon salt and fresh ground pepper. Spread the squash in a single layer on the baking sheet. Roast the squash in the oven until very soft and beginning to brown, 40 to 50 minutes, stirring once or twice. Remove the squash from the oven and puree in a food processor with fresh nutmeg.
• In a large bowl, mix the squash puree, ricotta, Parmesan, eggs, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cover and refrigerate the mixture until ready to use.
• In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the lasagna sheets until al dente. Drain the sheets and spread them on a baking sheet. Drizzle them lightly with oil and set aside.
• Prepare the sauce: In a large saucepan, bring the milk to a slow simmer over medium heat. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the sage and garlic to the butter, cook for 30 seconds, then add the flour and stir. Add about 3 cups of the milk, and whisk vigorously to prevent lumps. Bring to a boil, while whisking continuously. Add the remaining milk and whisk again. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Adjust the heat to low to maintain a slow simmer, and cook until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes, whisking frequently. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Makes about 8 cups.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Spoon a ladle of bechamel into the dish and spread to coat the bottom. Place a single layer of lasagna sheets on top of the bechamel. Spread some of the squash mixture evenly over the lasagna sheets and sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of mozzarella cheese and 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan on top. Repeat this step until all ingredients are used, starting with 2 to 3 ladles of bechamel for each layer. Keep building the layers until the pan is full to about 1/4-inch from the top. Finish with cheese and sauce directly over the noodles. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 1 hour. Remove the cover, and continue cooking for another 15 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Allow lasagna to rest before slicing. Serve warm.
• Grind fennel with mortar and pestle. Add the cinnamon and salt and continue grinding. Or grind in spice grinder for a rough grind.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Place squash, cut-side up, on the prepared baking sheet. Cover squash with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until squash is tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir mushrooms and garlic in the hot oil until mushrooms are tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.
• Heat remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil in a separate skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion in the hot oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Add spinach to onion; cook until spinach is heated through, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.
• Heat 6 cups milk in a 5-quart saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir until milk is simmering, about 5 minutes. Whisk remaining 1 cup milk and cornstarch together in a bowl until smooth; stir into simmering milk. Bring milk mixture to just under a boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and scraping bottom of pot to prevent scorching, until milk mixture has thickened into a sauce, about 5 minutes; remove pot from heat.
• Whisk 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, honey, nutmeg, sage, salt, and pepper into sauce until smooth. Cover pot with a lid and keep warm over low heat.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain.
• Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Scrape flesh from butternut squash into a bowl; stir with a fork until evenly mashed. Stir ginger, salt, and pepper into mashed butternut squash.
• Spoon about 1 cup white sauce into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish; arrange a layer of noodles atop white sauce. Layer 1/2 butternut squash mixture, 1/5 remaining white sauce, noodles, spinach mixture, 1/5 white sauce, noodles, 1/2 the mozzarella cheese, mushroom mixture, 1/5 white sauce, noodles, remaining 1/2 butternut squash mixture, 1/5 the white sauce, remaining noodles, remaining 1/5 white sauce, remaining mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, respectively. Cover dish with aluminum foil and place dish on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake until bubbling and cheese is browned, about 15 more minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH LASAGNA

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the water into the skillet and then cover and simmer over medium heat until the squash is tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly and then transfer the squash to a food processor. Add the amaretti cookies and blend until smooth. Season the squash puree, to taste, with more salt and pepper.
• Melt the butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the nutmeg. Cool slightly. Transfer half of the sauce to a blender*. Add the basil and blend until smooth. Return the basil sauce to the sauce in the pan and stir to blend. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.
• Lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup of sauce over the noodles. Repeat layering 3 more times.
• Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake the lasagna for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the lasagna. Continue baking uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, 15 minutes longer. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving.
• *When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH LASAGNA

Steps:

• Make the vegetables: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Toss the squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil on a baking sheet; season with salt. Toss the onion with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil on a separate baking sheet; season with salt. Roast, rotating the baking sheets once, until the vegetables are tender, 18 to 20 minutes; set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, make the bechamel: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the sage and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the flour until smooth; cook, whisking, until the flour is lightly golden but not brown, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the nutmeg.
• Assemble the lasagna: Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Toss the cheeses and the flour in a bowl; set aside 1/2 cup for topping. Evenly coat the bottom of the dish with 1/2 cup of the bechamel. Lay 3 noodles side by side on top. Cover with one-third of the remaining bechamel. Sprinkle with half of the remaining cheese mixture, then top with half of the vegetable mixture. Arrange 3 more noodles on top and repeat the layers (bechamel, cheese, vegetables). Top with the remaining 3 noodles, then cover with the remaining bechamel; sprinkle with the reserved 1/2 cup cheese.
• Loosely cover the dish with foil and bake until bubbly, about 45 minutes. Turn on the broiler. Uncover the lasagna and broil until browned, about 2 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

CARAMELIZED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Cut off and discard the ends of each butternut squash. Peel the squash, cut them in half lengthwise, and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into 1 1/4 to 1 1/2-inch cubes and place them on a baking sheet. Add the melted butter, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. With clean hands, toss all the ingredients together and spread in a single layer on the baking sheet. Roast for 45 to 55 minutes, until the squash is tender and the glaze begins to caramelize. While roasting, turn the squash a few times with a spatula, to be sure it browns evenly. Taste for seasonings and serve hot.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH LASAGNA

Steps:

• Make the filling: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle squash halves with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast squashes, cut sides down, on a rimmed baking sheet until tender and browned, about 1 hour. Let cool. Scoop flesh from skins, and puree in a food processor until smooth.
• Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Continue to cook until browned and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
• Combine 3 cups squash puree, 1 cup Parmesan, 2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons amaretti cookies, sage, browned butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and nutmeg in a bowl. Adjust seasoning as desired with more Parmesan, amaretti cookies, sage, salt, and nutmeg.
• Make the bechamel: Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Reduce heat to low, and cook, whisking often, for 3 minutes (do not let flour brown).
• Meanwhile, bring milk to a gentle simmer in another small saucepan over low heat. Gradually whisk hot milk into the roux, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and the nutmeg. Raise heat to medium, and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Cook, whisking, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and cook until the raw flour taste is gone, 5 to 10 minutes more. Season with 3/4 teaspoon salt.
• Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Assemble the lasagna: Coat bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with a thin layer of bechamel (about 1/2 cup). Arrange two 8-by-21-inch sheets cooked pasta on top, barely overlapping, to cover bottom and sides of dish. (Edges of pasta should hang over sides by about 2 inches.)
• Top with 3/4 cup squash filling, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon amaretti cookies. Top with 1 sheet of pasta (fill in any gaps with pieces of another sheet if needed), trimming edges as needed so that pasta fits neatly in dish.
• Top pasta with 3/4 cup bechamel and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Continue layering in same order (pasta, squash and amaretti, pasta, bechamel and Parmesan) until you reach the top of the dish, ending with 1 sheet of pasta (you may need to fill in gaps with pieces of another sheet; you should have 10 layers of pasta). Fold in the overhang from the first layer of pasta to create a package. Trim pasta sheets as needed to prevent too much overlap, then spread remaining bechamel over top.
• Bake, covered with parchment-lined foil, for 20 minutes. Uncover, and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Bake until top is browned, about 35 minutes more. Let cool slightly before serving.

BAREFOOT CONTESSA'S BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds, and cut it into 3/4-inch cubes.
• You should have about 6 cups.
• Place the squash on a sheet pan and toss it with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
• Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing once, until very tender.
• Set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a small covered saucepan.
• Leave it on low heat to simmer.
• In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the pancetta and shallots on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until the shallots are translucent but not browned.
• Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with butter.
• Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add 2 full ladles of stock to the rice plus the saffron, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
• Stir, and simmer until the stock is absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Continue to add the stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring every few minutes.
• Each time, cook until the mixture seems a little dry, then add more stock.
• Continue until the rice is cooked through, but still al dente, about 30 minutes total.
• Off the heat, add the roasted squash cubes and Parmesan.
• Mix well and serve.