Lasagna With Roasted Kabocha Squash And Béchamel Recipes

LASAGNA WITH ROASTED KABOCHA SQUASH AND BéCHAMEL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Cut the squash into big chunks, brush the exposed flesh with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and place on the baking sheet. Bake 45 minutes or until squash is tender enough to be pierced through to the skin with a paring knife. Remove from the heat and allow to cool until you can handle it, then cut away the skin and cut in thin slices. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees
• While the squash is in the oven, make the béchamel. Heat the remaining oil over medium heat in a heavy medium saucepan. Add the shallot or onion and cook, stirring, until it has softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and bubbling, but not browned. It should have the texture of wet sand. Whisk in the milk all at once and bring to a simmer, whisking all the while, until the mixture begins to thicken. Turn the heat to very low and simmer, stirring often with a whisk and scraping the bottom and edges of the pan with a rubber spatula, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the sauce is thick and has lost its raw flour taste. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Strain while hot into a large measuring cup or a medium bowl and stir in 1/4 cup of the Parmesan and 1 tablespoon of the sage
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a rectangular baking dish. Spread a spoonful of béchamel over the bottom. Top with a layer of lasagna noodles. Spread a thin layer of the béchamel over the noodles. Top with half the squash. Season the squash with salt and pepper and sprinkle with Parmesan. Repeat the layers, ending with a layer of lasagna noodles topped with béchamel and Parmesan. Sprinkle the remaining sage over the top. Make sure the noodles are well coated with béchamel so they will soften during baking
• Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and place in the oven. Bake 40 minutes, until the noodles are tender and the mixture is bubbling. Uncover and, if you wish, bake another 5 to 10 minutes until the top begins to brown. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving

LASAGNA OF ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Steps:

• 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.

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.

SQUASH LASAGNA WITH SPINACH

Steps:

• Squash: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange squash in a single layer on 2 rimmed baking sheets. Dot with butter and season with salt and pepper. Roast 5 minutes. Flip squash, coating in butter, and roast 10 minutes more. Flip again and roast until tender, about 2 minutes more. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.
• Bechamel: Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Add onion, nutmeg, and 2 teaspoons salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in mustard, then wine. Boil 1 minute. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds. Gradually whisk in milk and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce to a simmer; cook 3 minutes. (You should have 4 cups; add more milk if necessary.)
• Filling: Stir together ricotta, 1 1/2 cups Gruyere, and Parmesan. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in egg.
• Lasagna: Cook noodles in a large pot of generously salted boiling water, gently stirring occasionally, until almost al dente, about 6 minutes (or according to package instructions). Drain. Rinse under cold water and lay noodles flat on a lightly oiled baking sheet to drain. (Do not let them touch.)
• Spread 1 cup bechamel in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange 4 noodles on top. Dot with one-third of filling. Top with half of squash, then spinach. Spread 1 cup bechamel over spinach. Top with 4 more noodles, one-third of filling, remaining squash, 1 cup bechamel, and layer of remaining 4 noodles. Finish with remaining filling and bechamel. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Gruyere.
• Cover lasagna with parchment-lined foil and bake until heated through and bubbling at edges, 35 to 40 minutes. Turn oven to broil, remove foil, and broil until golden brown in spots and bubbling, 2 to 5 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes before serving.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND GARLIC LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.
• Brush the butternut squash halves with vegetable oil and season with salt. Roast in the preheated oven until golden and easily pierced with a knife, 45 to 50 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes, then scoop the flesh into a bowl. Set aside.
• Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook and stir garlic in the butter until softened. Stir in flour and cook for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk until smooth. Bring to a simmer, and cook until thick, about 10 minutes, whisking occasionally. Stir in the butternut squash and season with salt and pepper. Sauce can be made 3 days ahead and refrigerated.
• Reduce oven temperature to to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Beat the heavy cream until foamy in a large glass or metal mixing bowl. Gradually add the salt, continuing to beat until medium peaks form. Lift your beater or whisk straight up: the tip of the peak formed by the cream should curl over slightly. Set aside.
• Pour 1 cup of the butternut sauce into the baking dish and place 3 lasagna noodles on top in a single layer. Spread half of the remaining sauce over the noodles and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. Place another layer of noodles and spread the remaining sauce on top and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. Place the final layer of noodles on top. Spread the whipped cream over the final layer of noodles making sure the pasta is completely covered. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/3 cup of Parmesan. Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until the top is bubbly and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

ROASTED KABOCHA SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the squashes in half horizontally. Scoop out the seeds and discard. Dice the preserved lemon rind.
• Place the squash halves, cut side up, on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle the flesh with olive oil, salt, pepper, diced preserved lemon rind, and a squeeze of lemon. Roast uncovered in the oven, 1 hour.
• Remove the squash from the oven. Cut into large wedges, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and lemon juice, salt, pepper, and chopped parsley. Serve immediately, or use in Pasta with Roasted Kabocha Squash and Pecorino Romano (see recipe).

LASAGNA WITH BECHAMEL

Steps:

• Meat Sauce: Brown ground meat until no longer pink. Drain off fat, if any, and add the white wine. Cook, stirring bits up from the bottom, until the wine has evaporated. Add spaghetti sauce, bring to a simmer, move to back burner, turn heat to lowest setting, cover.
• Bechamel Sauce: In large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk flour into butter and allow to cook for 2 minutes. Slowly add milk, continuing to whisk until the mixture is smooth and begins to thicken. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg, reduce heat to lowest setting, cover.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring water to a boil and prepare dry noodles according to package directions. If using no-boil noodles, take boiling water off heat, add noodles, cover and let sit for 5 minutes before assembling lasagna. I left the no-boil noodles in the hot water during assembly, using tongs to grab, drain and layer noodles as I went.
• Assembly: Use 8x8, 7x11 or similar sized pan. Line bottom of pan with noodles, add about 1/2 cup of meat sauce, then layer about 1/2 cup of bechamel sauce on top. Repeat these layers until all the sauces are used up. Sprinkle the top layer of bechamel with parmesan cheese. Don't fret if there are leftover noodles.
• Bake 40 - 50 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.

ARTICHOKE AND YELLOW SQUASH LASAGNA WITH BECHAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350º.
• Sauté squash, onions, garlic in 2 tbs olive oil.
• Drain and chop the artichokes.
• Beat the egg in a small bowl.
• Reserve ½ cup of the Italian cheese blend.
• Combine ½ cup cheese, herbs, salt, and pepper and blend in the egg.
• Line a 9x13 pan with aluminum foil.
• Melt the 3 tbs butter in a saucepan with olive oil, and stir in flour to make a roux.
• Slowly add cream, stirring constantly, and add a dash of ground nutmeg.
• Pour ½ cup of the sauce on the bottom of pan, and lay sheets of dry lasagna on top of the sauce.
• Layer the sheets with 1/5 of the cheese mixture and 1/5 of the squash mixture.
• Repeat until you make five layers, topped by lasagna sheets, then press down slightly on the lasagna.
• Pour the rest of the béchamel sauce over the top, making certain it completely covers the top and runs down the sides.
• Cover the pan with a tent of aluminum foil and bake the lasagna for 40 minutes in the oven.
• Remove the lasagna and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top of it, then let it rest for 10 minutes.
• Cut the lasagna it into serving pieces and place them on plates, garnishing them with the minced parsley.

ROASTED KABOCHA SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place kabocha squash wedges cut-side up in a baking pan. Brush lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt.
• Bake in the preheated oven until tender when pierced with a knife, 35 to 40 minutes.