Butternut Squash Lasagna


One fall, our winter squash, rainbow chard and wild chantrelle mushrooms ripened all at once and so I used 3-4 lasagna recipes to come up with this mouth watering one.  We were having our annual grape harvest party, including all of the year’s helpers, and I needed to serve at least 30 people a wide variety of locally sourced foods.  This particular year, all of the vegetable and vegetarian dishes I served were grown in our own garden, and picked just before cooking.  That’s Farm to Table!

 

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Butternut Squash, Greens & Mushroom Lasagna
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
50 mins
Total Time
1 hr 10 mins
 

Vegetarian and gluten free. This lasagna can use any fresh greens that you have, but the combination of chard with kale is unbeatable.  With the first few rains, Chantrelle mushrooms begin to sprout under the oaks. Sometimes we have such an abundance that I'm giving them away.  This lasagna is a great way to use some of the excess. The mushrooms can be removed or substituted for crimini mushrooms.

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Farm Fresh and Vegetarian
Servings: 8
Author: Barbara
Ingredients
  • 1 Onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ lb optional wild chanterelles or crimini mushrooms sliced
  • 1 medium large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and sliced into 1/3” thick slices
  • 1-1/2 cup vegetable broth, white wine or water
  • 1 bunch fresh thyme, cleaned and picked
  • 6-8 leaves of sage, chopped
  • 1 bunch lacinota kale, destemmed, cut in 1 x 2” pieces
  • 1 bunch chard, cut in 1 x 2” pieces
  • 1 large container ricotta
  • 3 cups mozzarella, grated
  • dash nutmeg
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 box rice lasagna (or other lasagna)
  • olive oil
  • 1-1/2 c parmesan
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

  2. Sauté onions, add minced garlic and optional mushrooms sauté until the mushrooms are soft. Remove and set aside.

  3. Add the squash, broth, thyme and sage to the same skillet. Cover and simmer until the squash is just tender, remove the lid and cook until tender but the squash retains shape, reducing the liquids to 1/2.

  4. Bring 3 quarts of salted water to a boil in a large pot. Tear the kale leaves free from their stems and chop into large pieces. 

  5. Chop the chard, by cutting the chard into 3 sections lengthwise and 1” slices widthwise.

  6.  Add the kale to the boiling water, cook until softened about 6 minutes, then add the chard and cook until softened about 3 more minutes. Keeping the water, drain.

  7. Toss noodles into boiling used kale water and cook al dente.
  8. Meanwhile mix the ricotta, 2 cups of mozzarella, 1 cup parmesan, the eggs and nutmeg.

  9. Coat the bottom of a 9 x 13” pan with olive oil and dress lightly with ricotta. Layer 3-4 noodles, 1/3 of the ricotta, ½ the squash, ½ the kale & chard mix, top with 3-4 noodles, 1/3 ricotta, then the rest of the squash, then kale and then mushrooms.

  10.  Top with 3-4 noodles, any left over ricotta, 1 cup Mozzarella and ½ cup parmesan.

  11. Tent the lasagna with aluminum foil and bake until juices are bubbling and cheese is melted, about 40 minutes. Remove the tent and cook for another 10 minutes to brown and crispen the top.
Recipe Notes

If you like your lasagna moister or with a sauce, prepare a simple tomato sauce by sautéing an onion in olive oil until translucent, adding a handful of parsley and briefly sautéing and finally adding chopped tomatoes. Cook gently until juices are thickening. Put the tomato sauce on the top of the lasagna prior to topping with cheese.