Butternut Squash Lasagna with Béchamel Sauce
Servings: 8
Calories: 494kcal
This vegetarian butternut squash lasagna has a sage-infused béchamel sauce (white sauce). Made with no-boil lasagna noodles and canned butternut squash for easy prep! Make it the day before then bake it, or cook it up and pop it in the freezer.
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 no-boil lasagna noodles
- 2 cans butternut squash 15 oz each
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 3 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
- pinch nutmeg
- 2 cups grated whole milk mozzarella cheese
- 1 ½ cups grated fontina cheese
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- salt and cracked black pepper to tasted
- 8 fresh sage leaves to fry for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a 9" x 13" baking dish and set aside.
- Empty the two cans of butternut squash into a mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper.
- Grate all the cheeses. Mix together the mozzarella and fontina. Keep the parmesan separate.
- Finely chop the sage.
- Make the béchamel sauce. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and mix together for about one minute.
- Gradually whisk in the milk so no lumps remain. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 5 minutes until the mixture thickens and will coat the back of a spoon. Whisk in the nutmeg and sage, season with salt and pepper.
- Add ¾ cup of the béchamel sauce to the bottom of the baking dish. Place three of the no-boil noodles on top of the sauce. Spread ⅓ of the butternut squash on top of the noodles. Top with ⅔ cup of the mozz/fontina cheese mixture. Drizzle with ½ cup of the béchamel sauce.
- Repeat the layers in this way using the same measurements: noodles, squash, cheese, béchamel, noodles, squash, cheese, béchamel.
- Add the final three noodles, then top with all remaining bechamel sauce and all remaining mozzarella/fontina mixture.
- Cover with foil and bake for about 45 minutes, until lasagna is bubbling and cheese is melted.
- Remove foil, top with the shredded parmesan cheese and bake for about 15 minutes until the cheese is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to stand 15 minutes before serving.
- While the lasagna is baking or resting, fry the sage leaves. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Fry sage leaves until they curl slightly and are fragrant, about 30 seconds. Allow to drain on a dry paper towel.
- Top the lasagna with the sage leaves and serve.
Notes
- Roast your own squash; Of course, you can roast the butternut squash yourself if you prefer not to use canned. Purée it in the food processor before layering.
- Make the béchamel ahead: Since this is really the only thing you're cooking before you start layering, you could make the white sauce up to one week ahead, which makes this great for holiday meals. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator covered with a layer of plastic wrap to keep a skin from forming. Reheat on low in a small sauce pan, add more milk if you need to loosen it up.
- Freezing: You can freeze butternut lasagna just like any other lasagna, but you MUST cook it first! Allow the cooked lasagna to cool, then cover and place in the fridge overnight. Make sure it is covered tightly, then transfer to the freezer. NOTE: Because we are using the no-boil lasagna noodles for this recipe, do not freeze it BEFORE you bake it.
- Reheating: To reheat the frozen butternut squash lasagna, you can place the pre-cooked, frozen lasagna directly into a preheated oven. No need to thaw if you don't want to. It could take up to 90 minutes to cook, depending upon how hefty it is. Check the temperature as you go to be on the safe side.
Nutrition
Calories: 494kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 568mg | Potassium: 280mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 846IU | Calcium: 483mg | Iron: 1mg
