Squasagna ... or the perfect squash lasagna

My friend SVM has inspired me with this dish. I have borrowed her *squasagna* recipe and have modified it to fit my cooking style and eating / taste buds habits. I am a firm believer that recipes should be regarded as guidelines only, and not as strict rules, and often times I have hard time sticking to a recipe (hence my dislike for baking...). So without further ado, let me present you with my interpretation of Squash Lasagna:

0. I used no-boil lasagna noodles. They work just fine and shorten your cooking time by at least 30% (guesstimate).



1. Squash filling:

• 3 butternut squashes, peeled and cubed
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, smashed
• spices: thyme, sage, chives, basil
• seasonings: salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cube of vegetable bouillon (dissolved in 1 cup water)

What to do:
Sautee the onions and garlic in olive oil over medium heat for 10 min, or until soft and translucent. Add salt and pepper to taste and add some thyme, chives, and sage. Then transfer to a bowl and set aside. In the same pan that you cook the onions, add the cubed squash and 1 cup of vegetable bouillon and cook on high heat until the squash is soft to the point that you can mash it with a fork (~15 min). Add salt, black and cayenne pepper, sage, thyme, chives and basil (don't be afraid to add a lot of spices... :) Once the squash is ready, remove from heat and mash it with a fork and mix it with the onions. It is a good idea to taste the mixture and make sure it is adequately seasoned.



2. Cheese mix:

• 15 oz ricotta cheese
• 2/3 lb mozzarella cheese, shredded (save ~1/2 cup aside to use as final topping of the noodles)
• 1/4 lb pecorino romano cheese, shredded
• sage, thyme, chives, basil
• salt, black pepper to taste

Mix the cheeses and spices together in a large bowl. Add salt and black pepper to taste.

3. Bechamel sause:

• 2 table spoons butter
• 2 table spoons flour
• 1.5 cups milk
• 1 cup water
• salt and black pepper to taste.

In a small pot, melt the butter over low heat. Then add the flour and whisk quickly so no chunks remain. Then, while constantly stirring, slowly pour the milk and the water. Add salt and pepper and bring to a gentle boil in ~ 10 min.




Assembling the lasagna:

1. At the bottom of your baking pan, pour 1/2 of the Bechamel sause and then put the first layer of noodles.



2. Then layer the noodles with the squash filling and the cheese mix:

• noodles
• squash filling
• noodles
• cheese mix
• noodles
• squash filling
• noodles etc..

3. Cover the top layer of noodles with shredded mozzarella and pour the rest of the Bechamel sauce over the lasagna.



4. Bake at 375F for 40 min and enjoy!