roasted butternut squash lasagna with port wine cranberries

For the second entry in my fall flavors series I’m offering up my roasted butternut squash lasagna with port wine cranberries. If you want to learn a little more about the story behind how I came up with this recipe, you can check out the post on my fatherhood blog, Real Men Drive Minivans.

As with the first recipe in this series I put together a quick video showing how I made the dish. I hope you enjoy it.

Fall Flavors: Roasted Butternut Squash Lasagna with Port Wine Cranberries from PJ Mullen on Vimeo.

hardware

• food processor and/or blender
• stock pot to cook pasta
• saucepan or saucier
• spatula, whisk, spoons
• measuring cups and spoons
• 13 X 9 buttered baking dish

software

• 4 cups roasted butternut squash (see link for recipe)
• 1 15 oz container ricotta cheese
• 2 large eggs
• 3 or 4 amaretti cookie, ground*
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 package lasagna noodles or fresh pasta sheets
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 cups milk
• nutmeg, grated fresh or ground, to taste
• 1 cup port wine cranberry sauce (see link for recipe)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Reggiano, grated

assemblage

• preheat oven to 350 degree
• fill the stock pot with water and bring a boil
• pulverize the amaretti cookies in the food processor and set aside
• puree the butternut squash in the food processor, then add the eggs and ricotta cheese
• add the amaretti cookies and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, refrigerate the filling until needed
• melt the butter in sauce pan or saucier, add the flour and whisk constantly until combine
• slowly add the milk to the butter and flour mixture, whisking constantly, then bring it to a boil
• reduce the heat and fold in the port wine cranberry sauce (you can transfer the bechemel to a blender to more thoroughly combine the cranberry sauce, if desired)
• spread a thin layer of the cranberry bechemel sauce in the butter baking dish and add your first layer of pasta noodle
• alternate layering the butternut squash puree filling, cranberry bechemel and pasta noodles until your baking dish is nearly ful
• cover with any remaining cranberry bechemel and then top with a generous layer of shredded mozzarella cheese
• cover with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes, then remove the foil and bake uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted and crispy.

presentation

Whether you are serving this as an entree or a side item it is no different than any other lasagna you’ve had. I just divided it up into equal sided servings and since this was our main dish the night I made it I plated it up all by its lonesome.

Just a word of caution on the amaretti cookies, three is plenty for this recipe, but if you want it a touch sweeter you can use four. Any more than that and it can get really sweet fast. The tartness of the cranberries does help, but just be careful. They are small and the first time I made this I didn’t think it “looked” like enough.

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