Butternut Squash Lasagna Delight

Ingredients List

• 1 butternut squash, halved and seeded

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided, or as needed

• 1 (8 ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

• 1 onion, chopped

• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

• 7 cups milk, divided

• ½ cup cornstarch

• 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided

• 1 tablespoon honey or to taste

• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 4 fresh sage leaves, shredded, or to taste

• salt and ground black pepper to taste

• 1 (16 ounce) package lasagna noodles

• ¼ teaspoon minced fresh ginger

• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2. Place the squash, cut-side up, on the prepared sheet. Cover with foil.

3. Roast in the oven until the squash is tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes.

4. In a skillet, heat 1 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium heat. Sauté mushrooms and garlic until mushrooms are soft, around 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

5. In another skillet, heat the remaining olive oil and sauté onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and cook until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

6. In a 5-quart saucepan, heat 6 cups of milk over medium heat until simmering. Whisk together the remaining 1 cup of milk and cornstarch until smooth, then stir into the simmering milk. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat.

7. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of Parmesan cheese, honey, nutmeg, sage, salt, and pepper until smooth. Keep warm on low heat.

8. In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles for about 8 minutes until firm but tender. Drain.

9. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F (190°C).

10. Scoop out the flesh from the roasted squash and mash with a fork. Stir in ginger, salt, and pepper.

11. In a 9x13-inch baking dish, spread about 1 cup of white sauce on the bottom. Layer noodles, followed by half of the mashed butternut squash, 1/5 of the white sauce, more noodles, spinach mixture, more white sauce, more noodles, half the mozzarella cheese, mushroom mixture, more white sauce, more noodles, the remaining butternut squash, more white sauce, the remaining noodles, the remaining white sauce, remaining mozzarella cheese, and finish with 1/2 cup of Parmesan. Cover with foil and place on a baking sheet.

12. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbly. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Pro Tip for the Recipe

Nutritional Information (per serving)