Butternut Everything!

Of all the winter squashes, butternut is my favorite. And not for its rich, creamy flavor alone—its pretty fall color, dense, smooth texture, and relative ease of preparation (not as hard an exterior as, say, acorn squash) make it outshine the others.

And, it’s so versatile. There are dozens of delicious ways to make it–in soups, risottos, stuffings, salads….

Gigi had grown quite a bit of butternut in her Wedgewood Urban Gardens, so we wanted to feature it in a special way at our community pot luck last week. She had bundles of leeks waiting to be pulled from the garden, too.

We LOVE leeks, and so I created this lasagna variation to include them. The leek and butternut union became the big hit at our dinner.

What made it unique was the layering of these three components:
roasted butternut squash puree
leek-ricotta bechamel
stewed or roasted yellow tomatoes

What made it simpler was the “no-bake” lasagna that I used. If you’ve never tried it, you’ll be surprised. It really works well, and is not as heavy as the typical thicker, ripple-edged pasta that we all have used many times.

One less pot to deal with, no big wads of broad noodles clumped together, a whole step eliminated!

Both the butternut puree and the bechamel have an earthy sweetness. The yellow tomatoes add a bright, citrusy-acid note in the middle. If you don’t have these, no worries. The dish is still very good without them.

I grated some sharp pecorino-romano over the several layers. If you like, you can garnish the top with some walnuts.

Like most lasagnas, it is not difficult to make–but there are two main steps involved before you can assemble the layers.

Roasted Butternut Squash
2 Butternut Squash–medium size
Olive oil
Salt and Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut butternuts in half. Scoop out seeds. Brush both sides with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place skin side up onto a baking pan and roast uncovered for 30-40 minutes. The outside skin will brown and blister slightly, and the whole squash will soften and collapse. When this occurs, remove from the oven and allow to cool.

When cooled, the skin will peel away from the meat of the squash.
Where it doesn’t peel away, scoop out the meat with a spoon.
Place all roasted squash into a food processor fitted with the swivel blade and puree. Season to taste with salt and pepper. The mixture will be fairly thick and creamy. If it’s too thick (as in too difficult to spread with a spatula over lasagna) thin with a little half-and-half.

Leek-Ricotta Bechamel
4 Leeks, cleaned well and chopped–use white and green parts
3 Tablespoons Butter
3 Tablespoons Flour (all-purpose)
1 1/2 cups Half-and-Half
1 cup Ricotta
Salt and Black Pepper–to taste

In a 3 qt. saucepan, melt butter on medium heat and add leeks. Sauté for 5-7 minutes, stirring often, until leeks soften and separate.
Sprinkle in flour, and stir rapidly, so that the leeks are well coated. When the flour has absorbed all liquid/butter, and cooked onto the leeks, pour in the half-and-half. Keep stirring. Soon, the sauce will bubble and thicken. Add the ricotta and stir well. Season with salt and black pepper. The sauce will be rich tasting and somewhat sweet from the leeks.

The Assembly
1 box No Bake Lasagna
Leek-Ricotta Bechamel
Butternut Squash Puree
1 cup cooked Yellow Tomatoes
1 handful fresh Sage leaves, chopped
Pecorino-Romano cheese to grate

Lightly coat a 9×13 deep-dish style baking pan or casserole with olive oil. Then, cover the bottom of the casserole with a layer of leek bechamel. Place lasagna on top. Spread a layer of butternut over that. Sprinkle chopped sage over the butternut, and spoon over with bechamel. Add your 2nd lasagna layer, then the yellow tomatoes. Grate some pecorino-romano over the tomatoes, dot with bechamel and add 3rd lasagna layer. Spread butternut over the lasagna, sprinkle with chopped sage, and cover with 4th (and final) lasagna. Cover the top with remaining bechamel. Grate romano over the top.

At this point, you can refrigerate it and bake it the next day, if you like. Otherwise, seal with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. (This helps the casserole to steam up as it bakes, cooking the pasta.) Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes. Serves 8-10 generously.

1. Renee Says:
   October 21st, 2009 at 8:35 pm

   Yes!!!

2. claudette Says:
   October 22nd, 2009 at 10:30 am

   This looks beautiful. I hope to make it soon.

3. veg head Says:
   October 22nd, 2009 at 6:31 pm

   anything with leeks in it has got to be great.
   LOVE leeks too!

4. BAN Says:
   October 24th, 2009 at 11:19 am

   Mmmmm….
   …..calling my name for this chilly weekend.
   Do you know what to do with Delicata Squash?

5. Ben Frank from I Ate That! Says:
   October 27th, 2009 at 9:22 am

   This looks and sounds AMAZING. we have a couple butternuts right now that would be perfect for this.

6. goodfoodmatters Says:
   October 27th, 2009 at 1:53 pm

   Delicata squashes can split lengthwise–seeds scooped out– stuffed with, for instance, herbed polenta and then baked. The meat of the squash softens and you enjoy both delicata and polenta in each bite. Pretty and delicious.

7. Kelli Says:
   November 3rd, 2009 at 4:09 pm

   Made this for dinner last night and can’t wait to have leftovers tonight. I used one butternut and some other type of squash, as that is what I had on hand. As a novice cook, many of the components were new to me (squash, leeks), but the combination is heavenly. Thanks for such a creative recipe for fall favorites.

8. goodfoodmatters Says:
   November 3rd, 2009 at 4:45 pm

   Kelli–that’s great! I’m a real believer in the “use what you’ve got” philosophy. The winter squashes can be interchanged and combined. I’m glad you enjoyed using some new ingredients and had such a tasty outcome.

9. My Butternut Squash Lasagna | I Ate That! Says:
   November 5th, 2009 at 7:55 am

   [...] Acres. For this Lasagna I really wanted some­thing hearty. I was inspired by Nancy Vienneau’s Butternut Squash Leek Lasagna but wanted a [...]

10. Good Food Matters » Blog Archive » Butternut Squash-Heirloom Bean Chili, olive oil cornbread Says:
    October 13th, 2011 at 10:21 am

    [...] may recall, in seasons past, that we’ve cooked up Butternut Lasagna layered with leek bechamel, swiss chard-butternut gratin, flan-like timbales with walnut pesto, and [...]