Butternut Squash Lasagna

You may have noticed that things have slowed down here a at My Kitchen Addiction in the last week or two… I’m afraid it’s a direct result of the fact that life is a bit crazy at the moment (and not slowing down anytime soon) as I am trying to get ready for Christmas!  I’m sure you can relate.  I adore the holidays, but this year things seem to be just a bit more crazy than usual. Even so, I’m really looking forward to spending this weekend with friends and family and taking some time to relax.

Once things do slow down a bit, I will be doing a bit of a re-design of My Kitchen Addiction (using the Headway Theme as recommended by my favorite social media expert John Haydon). More details to come soon, but I hope to have it up and running sometime in early January.

Speaking of January, I will also be participating in the Ten in 10 Challenge come January 2nd, so the holiday recipes will come to an end and I’ll be working on some healthier recipes and sharing a few of my “get healthy” goals.  Don’t worry… I won’t be going 100% healthy on you, but hopefully we can all exchange ideas and help to keep each other motivated and inspired!

In the meantime, though, I’m still busy getting ready for the holidays. I still have plenty of baking to do in the next two days and (unfortunately) will be running out to do some more shopping, too.  I’m doing my best to stay focused on the true spirit of Christmas, though, and not let all of the stress to get to me!

So, given my crazy schedule and future plans, I’m not sure how I managed to find time to make this butternut squash lasagna completely from scratch last week… but I squeezed it in there somewhere, and it was definitely worth the time and effort! If you don’t have the time/energy/patience to make your own lasagna noodles, go ahead and skip the homemade lasagna noodles and just use your favorite brand of pasta instead.

Homemade Lasagna Noodles

Adapted from the North End Italian Cookbook

(Note – This recipe makes more homemade pasta than you need for the noodles.  However, if I’m taking the time to make fresh pasta, I make the whole recipe and just make fettucine with the extra and keep it in the fridge. It stores well for a week or so.)

• 6 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• Boiling water (3/4 to 1 cup)

On a clean surface (I make my pasta by hand on my granite counter tops, but you could use a bowl/mixer, too), combine the flour and salt.  Make a well in the center of the flour and add the three eggs.  Break the egg yolks with your fingers and work the eggs into the flour mixture using your fingertips.  Once the eggs are incorporated, the mixture will resemble crumbs or cornmeal.

Gradually add the boiling water, tossing it with the crumb mixture (being careful not to burn your hands).  Add just enough water to bring the dough together. You should be able to shape the dough into a ball, but it shouldn’t be too sticky.  You can add additional water or flour to adjust the consistency as necessary.

Once the dough comes together, knead for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth.  Form the dough into a disk, pat with some water, and cover it with plastic wrap.  Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.

Use a pasta maker to roll the dough until it is paper thin (the thinnest setting).  Follow the machine directions for the amount of dough/method.  Note – You can also roll the dough by hand, but make sure you have some muscles!

Use a pastry cutter to cut the noodles to the desired size. Let the noodles dry on a drying rack while you roll the rest of the pasta dough.

To prepare the noodles, boil in salted water for about 10 – 12 minutes.  Drain, rinse in cold water, and set aside.

Butternut Squash Lasagna

(This lasagna recipe fills a 9 inch by 13 inch baking dish, but you can adjust the amounts as necessary.)

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup half and half
• 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• Kosher salt (to taste)
• Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
• Freshly ground nutmeg (to taste)
• 12 lasagna noodles (cooked according to package directions, or using recipe above)
• 3 cups butternut squash puree
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 375°F.  Spray a 9 inch by 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat.  Add the sage leaves, and cook in the butter for a few minutes until the sage is crisp.  Add the flour, and whisk into the butter, cooking for a few minutes until golden.  Gradually whisk in the milk and half and half until the sauce is smooth.  Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat, and stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.  Adjust the seasoning, adding salt, pepper, and nutmeg, to taste (note – a little bit of freshly ground nutmeg goes a long way).

Spread a small amount of butternut squash puree in the bottom of the lasagna dish.  Spread a layer of three noodles across the bottom of the dish.  Spread with one third of the remaining butternut squash, one fourth of the sauce, and one fourth of the mozzarella.  Repeat with two more layers of noodles, squash, sauce, and mozzarella. Top the final layer with three more noodles, the remaining sauce, and the remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden.  Allow to rest for about 15 minutes before serving.