Butternut Squash & Mushroom Lasagna

You should know, I’ve never actually made “normal” lasagna.  I’ve plopped the stuff into a muffin pan for ‘Cupcake Lasagna’, and now have smooshed butternut squash puree and shrooms between layers of pasta…but the meat & ‘mater based kind, I have yet to try. 

A little backwards, am I.

Since watching Food Inc. and Forks Over Knives, we’ve been trying to reduce our meat intake by introducing Meatless Mondays.  And the occasional Thursday.  And Saturday.  We’re aiming for about 3 meals a week.  Cutting back dairy is clearly not evidenced by the wicked amount of cheese in this delicious dish.  We’ll work on that.

You should also know my husband was out hunting today.  Clearly, the vegan lifestyle registers nowhere on our horizon…but we are doing what we can to cut back on our meat and dairy intake, and pursue a more plant-based diet.  Now to try and figure out how to grow Cadbury’s eggs in my garden.

We have crates overflowing with butternut out in our garage, and my littles are eager for it in something other than soup.  The cake was a hit!

So lasagna it is.

This recipe called for fresh basil, but having just brought our monster rosemary plant indoors from the garden – where it is now sulking – I decided to use that instead.  I also added some garlic, seeing every good recipe needs at least 3 cloves of garlic.  So feel free to get creative with the seasoning!

Butternut Squash & Mushroom Lasagna

                Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 pounds of butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1 pound of mushrooms, sliced {portabellas would be divine!}
• 1/4 cup of butter
• 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 cups of whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons of finely chopped fresh rosemary {dried works too}
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 package of lasagna noodles
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup of panko crumbs {optional}
• salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375*.
2. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions, or use no-boil noodles.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash, toss with oil, season with salt and pepper and sauté lightly.  Pour the water into the skillet, cover and simmer over medium heat until the squash is tender about 15-20 minutes. Cool slightly and then transfer the squash to a food processor, blend until smooth.
4. Heat another large skillet over medium heat and add the other tablespoon of olive oil. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt. Remove from pan and set aside.
5. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat then reduce heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes {this is called a roux, by the way}.  Add in the garlic, rosemary and nutmeg.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
6. Lightly grease a 9 X 13 baking dish. Spread about 3/4 cup of the white sauce over the prepared baking dish. Arrange a layer of lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles then 1/3 of the mushrooms. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and 1/3 cup ricotta cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup of sauce over the noodles. Repeat layering 3 more times, ending with a layer of mozzarella and parmesan cheese.  Sprinkle the panko crumbs on top.
7. Cover the baking dish with foil {sprayed lightly with cooking spray} and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered for about 15 more minutes or until the top is nicely brown.  Remove from oven and let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Recipe adapted from Foodie Crush {originally from Giada De Laurentiis}

This was one of the first meatless meals we incorporated into the meal planning calendar we just started this month.  While we’re still very new to this, and haven’t a clue how to narrow down the millions of gorgeous dinners I’ve pinned into a simple, easy-to-maintain plan, I’ve got some cute printables coming your way soon…stay tuned!