Ingredients

Scale

Small butternut squash (2.5lbs – 3lbs (you’ll need about 4 cups, roasted))
½ a sweet onion (sliced into big wedges)
olive oil for drizzling

Mushroom Filling:

2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
1 ½ lb mushrooms (sliced)
½ onion (diced)
4 garlic cloves (chopped)
2 tablespoons fresh chopped sage
½ teaspoon salt
optional – feel free to add a couple handfuls baby spinach or greens and wilt them.

Ricotta Mixture:

1 lb ricotta cheese (or sub vegan tofu ricotta If using the tofu ricotta, no need to add more salt or egg. Just nutmeg ?)
one egg (optional)
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt

Butternut Puree:

2 tablespoons olive oil or water
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 1 /2 cups grated mozzarella cheese (about 3–4 ounces or sub vegan “meltable” cheese)
½ cup romano or parmesan (about 1 ounce or sub vegan)
9 lasagna noodles (uncooked)
Garnish with 9 crispy sage leaves (optional, see notes)

Optional Quick Béchamel Sauce:

1 tablespoon olive oil (or butter)
1 ½ tablespoons flour
1 cup low fat milk (or nut milk)
generous pinch salt (pepper and nutmeg)
remaining ½ cup mozzarella and 2 tablespoons parmesan (or meltable vegan cheese)

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 F. Cut butternut squash in half, scoop out the seeds and place open side down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place sliced onion next to it and drizzle it with a little olive oil. Roast until fork tender, about 30-40 minutes. Let cool. Lower oven to 375F
In a large skillet, heat the oil or butter. Add mushrooms and diced onions and salt, and saute over medium heat, until the mushrooms release their liquid and begin to brown. Add the garlic, sage and pepper. Cook until garlic is fragrant, about 2-3 more minutes, turn heat off. You could toss in some spinach at the end and wilt for extra nutrients. Taste and make sure the filling has enough salt and pepper. You could also add a little truffle oil.
Using a fork, mix the ricotta cheese with the egg, nutmeg and salt. ( you really don’t need to add the egg, but it adds a nice richness.)
When the butternut is cool enough to handle, scoop all the flesh out into a food processor. You should have about 4 cups. Add the roasted onion, olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Puree until smooth. You will need at least 3 1/2 cups pureed. If short, you could add a little water. This will be the “sauce”.
Assemble the lasagna. In a greased 9 x13 inch baking dish, add 1 cup of the butternut puree and spread out into a thin layer. Top with 3 lasagna noodles. Add ½ of the ricotta mixture and spread out evenly. Top with half of the cook mushrooms. Sprinkle with ½ cup grated mozzarella and a couple tablespoons romano cheese. Add 3 more lasagna noodles. Spread out the rest of the ricotta mixture as evenly as possible. Spoon half of the remaining butternut puree, erring on the side of less than half, so you have enough to cover the top (save at least 1 ¼ cups for the top.) Add the remaining mushrooms and all the good bits ( onions and sage) and sprinkle with another ½ cup shredded mozzarella and couple tablespoons parmesan. Place the final three noodles over the top. Lather with the remaining butternut puree and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese ( or make the creamy béchamel sauce.- See notes. )
Cover tightly with foil and bake in 375 F oven for 40 minutes. Uncover and continue baking 15-20 minutes until golden and bubbly. Cut into 9 servings. Garnish with optional crispy sage leaves.

Notes

Optional Béchamel: So instead of sprinkling the remaining cheese on top (which is totally fine, especially if pressed for time) I’ll make a quick light béchamel sauce to pour over the final layer of butternut puree using the remaining cheese. This just gives it a creamier look and feel ( compared to the look of melted, grated cheese). This is just a personal preference, that makes it look more appealing (from my catering days). Totally up to you. ?

Feel free to make this ahead, and bake before serving, remembering to pull it out of the fridge for at least one hour before baking. You could also make this in stages, roasting the butternut ahead, and cooling it over night. making the filling ahead, etc. This can also be baked and frozen.

To make the crispy sage leaves, generously coat the bottom of a small skillet with olive oil over medium heat. Place each leave ( leaving a little stem is cute) into the hot oil and fry each side, around 30 seconds, or until crisp. Place on a paper towel to blot. Do one tester first, to get the timing right. You want them crisp, but still green, not too brown.)

Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 1 hour
Category: Main, Side