Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
- 2 1/2 cups chopped onions
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 pound crimini (baby bella) mushrooms, sliced (about 3 cups)
- 3 pounds butternut squash (1 large squash or two medium sizes squashes)
- 2-20 ounce jars of marinara sauce
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, divided (alt. fresh or dried basil)
- 4 tablespoons sliced fresh sage, divided (alt. fresh or dried oregano)
- 3 15-ounce containers whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 3 cups grated mozzarella cheese, divided
- 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 4 large eggs
- Olive oil
- 1 9-ounce package no-boil lasagna noodles
Preparation
There are three fillings to prepare for this dish, that will then layer on top of each other for a delicious, hearty, savory meal. To start, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Fillings:
Squash filling: Peel and seed the butternut squash and use a strong knife to cut the squash the long way, and then chop each half into quarters. Oil a cookie sheet and place the squash on the sheet. Cover in more oil and Italian spices (basil and oregano or thyme and sage) and place in the bottom rack of the oven. Cook for 30-40 minutes, flipping over after 20 minutes, until tender enough to mash up.
Move onto other fillings while squash bakes.
Once the squash is tender, mash to a smooth, consistent texture. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter to achieve the desired texture. It should be similar to the texture of mashed potatoes, but a bit stringier. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Mushroom filling: ¼ of a cup butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic; saute until soft, about 8 minutes. Increase heat to high; add mushrooms and cook until tender, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
Cheese filling: Mix ricotta, 2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, and dried or fresh Italian herbs in a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper; mix in eggs.
Layer the lasagna: Brush large glass or ceramic baking dish (approx. 13x9x2-inch) with oil. Spread 1 cup ricotta mixture over bottom. Arrange 3 or 4 noodles on top, break into custom sizes to fit in your baking dish and cover the entire layer. Spread 1/4 of the remaining ricotta mixture over noodles, followed by 1/3 of the squash, 1/3 the mushrooms, and cover with 1/3 of the marinara sauce. Top with noodles and repeat twice. After the fourth layer of noodles, cover the noodles with the remaining ricotta mixture, and sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella and the remaining parmesan. Be sure to completely cover the noodles on top, to avoid dry, exposed noodles becoming crisp in the oven.
Bake: Bake lasagna, covered, 35 minutes. Uncover; bake until heated through, about 15-20 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. (The lasagna can be assembled one day ahead and refrigerated.)