Butternut Squash Lasagna

It's strange, but people often ask me what vegetarians eat on Thanksgiving…. DUH! Everything BUT the turkey! Throughout my life, I have always been in the minority as a vegetarian at the family Thanksgiving table. This year, I am amazed to say that I will actually be in the majority. Everyone is leaving the dark side one by one! (My brother and my cousin Erin will sob when they read this). Therefore, I thought it would be great to add a vegetarian entree to the holiday dinner table.

Last night I attended a potluck dinner and thought that this would be the perfect dish to bring, since I associate Garfield’s favorite meal with special occasions. It was a major hit! This rich dish is not only great for the non-turkey eaters at your Thanksgiving table, but the meat-eaters will also want seconds and thirds.

Butternut squash is one of the greatest produce of this season. Its creamy, buttery, nutty, and flavorful characteristics make it a wonderful ingredient for this hearty dish. Winter squashes are an important food source of carotenoids, which is indicated in its bright orange color, and research studies documented that it has an extremely high phytonutrient content. Besides beta-carotene, it also contains other carotenoids such as alpha-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin. This means butternut squash is a fantastic source of antioxidants, which fight free radical damage and inflammation in the body.

Why should we buy butternut squash organic?

Even though butternut squash has a thick skin that seems difficult for pesticides to penetrate, recent research states that butternut squash is a vegetable that might be especially important for us to purchase organic. Agricultural trials have shown that winter squash can be an effective intercrop for use in cleaning up contaminated soils. Meaning, winter squash effectively soaks up unwanted contaminants such as Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including pyrene, fluoranthene, chrysene, benzo(a)anthracene and benzo(a)pyrene. When winter squash is planted as a food crop (as opposed to when it is planted for the non-food crops to improve the soil quality in-between seasons and/or crop rotations), the farmer's objective is not to transfer soil contaminants like PAHs up into the food. But some of that transfer seems likely to happen, given the effectiveness of winter squash in mobilizing contaminants like PAHs from the soil. For this reason, you may want to make a special point of purchasing certified organic winter squash. Soils used for the growing of in certified organic foods are far less likely to contain undesirable levels of contaminants like PAHs, so buy organic.

Butternut Squash Lasagna

Author: Michele Wolfson

Adapted mostly from Well's Vegetarian Thanksgiving 2012

Ingredients

• 1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into one-inch cubes

• 6 tablespoons coconut oil, divided

• 2 large red onions, thinly sliced

• 1 pound part-skim ricotta cheese

• 3 tablespoons rosemary, chopped

• 2 eggs

• 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

• Scant 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

• 3 1/2 cups whole milk

• Pinch nutmeg

• 1 bag chopped frozen spinach (1-pound), defrosted and drained

• 6 sheets fresh pasta, or no-boil lasagna noodles

• Salt

• Pepper

Instructions

1. Rub butternut squash with 2 tbs coconut oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. Roast in a 400°F oven until soft, about 40-60 minutes (cooking time depends on the size of the squash using). Remove from oven and let cool and then transfer the squash to a food processor. Season the squash puree, to taste, with more salt and pepper.

2. To caramelize the onions: Place 3 tablespoons of coconut oil in sauté pan. Heat until hot but not smoking; add onions. Toss to coat with oil. Turn heat down to medium and cook until onions are soft and browned, about 25-30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

3. Prepare a ricotta cheese mixture. Mix ricotta cheese, chopped rosemary, eggs, half the grated Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

4. Melt the butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often about 5 minutes. Add the rest of the grated Parmesan, the nutmeg and the defrosted spinach. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Assemble the dish. Spray a 9"x 13" pan with cooking spray. Spread 1 cup of the spinach sauce on the bottom of the pan. Cover with a layer of pasta sheets. Spread half of the roasted butternut squash on top of the pasta sheets. Top with another layer of pasta sheets. Spread ricotta cheese mixture on top of pasta sheets, and spread caramelized onion on top of ricotta mixture. Cover with an additional layer of pasta sheets. Top with the other half of the butternut purée and then another layer of pasta. Finish by using the rest of the spinach Mornay sauce for the top layer. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Uncover and cook for 15 minutes more.