Butternut Squash Lasagna With Swiss Chard Food

BUTTERNUT SQUASH & SWISS CHARD LASAGNE WITH BECHAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400. Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Brush squash with olive oil and place cut side down on baking sheet. Bake 30-40 minutes under fork tender. Cool then scoop out inside into mixing bowl. Mash and set aside.
• Cook noodles as directed on package. Drain and set aside.
• For the filling: Heat the oil in a large skillet and add the onions and chard stems. Cook until soft then add remaining chard and sage. Saute until chard is wilted. Remove from heat and allow to cool 10 minutes. Stir in ricotta, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and paprika. Set aside.
• For the sauce: In a medium pan, melt the butter. Add the flour and salt and pepper to taste, and garlic. Cook a few minutes then whisk in the milk until sauce thickens. Stir in parmesan.
• Preheat oven to 375. Spray a lasagne pan with cooking spray and then coat the bottom with a small amount of sauce. Lay in a layer of noodles, then half of the squash, 1 cup of mozzarella, half of the chard mixture.
• In the same sequence, repeat layers until pan is full with a layter of lasagne on top with sauce covering the noodles. If desired, add more parmesan cheese on top.
• Bake 40 minutes. Allow to sit 5 minutes, covered, before slicing and serve.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH LASAGNA

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the water into the skillet and then cover and simmer over medium heat until the squash is tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly and then transfer the squash to a food processor. Add the amaretti cookies and blend until smooth. Season the squash puree, to taste, with more salt and pepper.
• 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. Whisk in the nutmeg. Cool slightly. Transfer half of the sauce to a blender*. Add the basil and blend until smooth. Return the basil sauce to the sauce in the pan and stir to blend. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.
• Lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup of sauce over the noodles. Repeat layering 3 more times.
• Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake the lasagna for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the lasagna. Continue baking uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, 15 minutes longer. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving.
• *When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND SWISS CHARD LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss your sliced butternut squash with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, and spread the squash onto the baking sheet. If it doesn't all fit use a second baking sheet, or layer it. Roast for 30 minutes, until tender, but not too mushy. RESIST TEMPTATION: DO NOT EAT IT ALL BEFORE YOU FINISH THE OTHER PARTS OF THE LASAGNA ; ).
• While the squash is roasting you can complete the other parts....
• SAUCE.
• Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic, and cook until golden (be careful not to burn it). Reduce the heat, and carefully pour the tomato sauce into the pan. It might start to pop, so keep the lid nearby. Stir the garlic and sauce, then add the nutritional yeast, herbs and black pepper. Cover, and allow the sauce to cook while you work on the next part.
• SWISS CHARD & MUSHROOMS.
• Heat a tablespoon, or two, of olive oil in a skillet on medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and a generous pinch of sea salt, and stir. The cooking will draw the moisture out of the mushrooms, so don't worry if the pan seems too dry. Once they've begun to sweat (moisten), add the swiss chard, tarragon, and rosemary. Stir well, and remove from heat.
• TOFU "CHEESE".
• Break the tofu up and place it in a food processor. Process until smooth, then add the nutritional yeast, vinegar and salt. Process again to incorporate it all, and taste to see if you need to add any more salt.
• ASSEMBLE THE LASAGNA.
• Now that you've got all the parts complete you can assemble the lasagna.
• To do this you will place a layer of squash on the bottom of the baking dish. Follow that with some of the "cheese", follow that with some of the mushroom mix (squeeze excess liquid from the mushrooms and greens before layering), then the sauce, then the squash again. Continue to layer the ingredients until you've used them all. Use about 1/2 cup of "cheese", sauce and mushrooms on each layer. I like my top layer to have all the ingredients visible.
• Place the lasagna back in the oven and bake for 40 minutes (or 30 if you just can't wait).

VEGETARIAN BUTTERNUT SQUASH LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a large sauce pan heat oil over medium heat and add the onion& garlic.
• Cool until the onion is turning LIGHT brown.
• Remove from heat and add the honey and mashed squash.
• Stir well.
• Place a small abount of sauce in the bottom of a shallow 2 quart oven safe dish.
• Place 3 noodles on the sauce and spread with half the squash mixture, half the cottage cheese and 1/3 of the tomato sauce, then half the mozzarella-repeat layers ending up with the sauce, then sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top.
• Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes.
• To make the sauce: Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan and saute the onion and garlic until soft.
• Add sugar, herbs and pepper along with the tomatoes and cook for 20 minutes.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH LASAGNA

Steps:

• Take the butternut squash and peel, seed, and cut it into 1/2-inch chunks.
• Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, toss the butternut squash chunks with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt, then place the chunks in a single layer on a large cookie sheet.
• Roast the squash chunks for 30 minutes or until they're easily pierced with a fork, stirring after 15 minutes.
• Remove chunks from the oven and mash squash with a food processor (or fork or potato masher) until almost smooth; set aside.
• Lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
• In a large Dutch oven or saucepot, over medium heat melt together the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter.
• Add the chopped onion and cook for about 10 minutes or until golden, stirring often; add the Swiss chard and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until the chard is wilted and the liquid evaporates, which will take about 7 minutes.
• Remove from heat and set aside.
• In a large saucepan, melt the remaining butter over medium heat.
• Whisk in the flour, pepper, garlic salt, nutmeg, thyme, and sage and cook for 1 minute while stirring constantly.
• Gradually whisk in the milk until smooth and cook the sauce over medium-high heat until it boils and thickens slightly, stirring frequently.
• Boil for an additional 2 minutes while stirring, then whisk in all but 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese.
• Remove the saucepan from heat.
• In a 13" x 9" glass lasagna pan, spoon about 1/2 cup of the white sauce to cover the bottom of the pan.
• Arrange 4 cooked lasagna noodles over the sauce, overlapping to fit; evenly spread all of the Swiss chard mixture over the noodles, top with about 1 cup white sauce, and sprinkle with about a 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese.
• Arrange 4 lasagna noodles on top, then about 1 cup white sauce and all butternut squash chunks, then a 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese.
• Top with remaining lasagna noodles, remaining white sauce, sprinkle with the chopped green onions and the remaining mozzarella cheese; sprinkle with the reserved 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese.
• Cover the lasagna pan with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until hot and bubbly; let lasagna cool for 10 minutes before cutting, for easier serving.
• Makes 8 to 10 servings.

SWISS-CHARD LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil, onion, and chard stems. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 4 minutes. Stir in chard leaves, season with salt, and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Wipe skillet; return to medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, garlic, and pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes with juices and simmer, breaking into pieces, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt.
• Spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce in the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish. Top with 2 lasagna noodles, 3/4 cup sauce, one-third of chard mixture, and 1 cup cheese. Repeat layering twice. Top with remaining noodles, sauce, and cheese. Loosely cover with parchment-lined foil. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until bubbly, about 15 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes, then slice and serve.