Roasted Carrot and Butternut Squash Lasagna

I can’t decide what kind of lasagna I like best. I love the traditional meat one as well as my favorite mushroom lasagna. I also make one with veggies that’s pretty delicious. This one is definitely up there. It’s a little sweet, a little salty. Perfect for the first real week of fall. We’re starting to see root veggies in the green market and it’s always exciting to see the changing seasonal produce. I’m not a huge fan of ricotta generally (there are some exceptions….), so I generally don’t use it in lasagna, but you could add some to the cheese mixture if you want to. Just a note on mine here, I used whole wheat flour and whole wheat lasagna noodles, but you certainly don’t have to.

Roasted Carrot and Butternut Squash Lasagna

1 butternut squash, chopped into 1″ dice

1 bunch carrots, chopped into 1″ dice

4 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons freshly grated nutmeg

1 tablespoon real maple syrup

2 tablespoons salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour, AP or whole wheat

2 cups whole milk

12 sage leaves, chopped

1/2 cup chicken stock

2 amaretti cookies

1 1/2 cup grated Italian fontina or sharp, aged pecorino

1 cup grated parmesan or pecorino

1 package lasagna noodles, regular or whole wheat

18 basil leaves

Combine the squash, carrots, half the olive oil, brown sugar, half the nutmeg, maple syrup, half the salt and pepper on a sheet tray. Roast at 450 degrees for 45-50 minutes, until it starts to caramelize.

Meanwhile, make the bechamel by combining the flour and butter in a pan for a couple minutes. Add the milk and the remainder of the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Whisk until it starts to thicken. Remove from heat.

Combine the roasted vegetables with the remainder of the olive oil, amaretti, and sage leaves in a blender. Blend into a thick puree. You can thin it out with the stock until it’s the right consistency, but don’t make it too watery.

Put a thin layer of the vegetable puree on the bottom of a buttered lasagna pan. Put a layer of noodles and then a layer of puree and a layer of bechemel sauce. Sprinkle some of each grated cheese on top and spread out some basil leaves. Continue to layer in the same order until you have finished the puree and bechemel. Sprinkle more cheese over the top and drizzle some additional olive oil over the top.

Bake covered with aluminum foil for 40 minutes at 450 degrees. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes until bubbling. Let cool 10 minutes until serving.