Butternut Squash Lasagna

This recipe is a little out of my comfort zone. It takes slightly more work than I'm usually willing to put into a meal, but I'm still going to try it soon!  It sounds delicious and very fun to try! What do you think?

Butternut Squash Lasagna

Serves 6-8



Butternut Squash Sauce
:
2 kg / 4.5 lbs. butternut squash

3-4 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. lemon juice

salt to taste





Directions:

1. Cut butternuts in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Rub with a little coconut oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. Roast in a 400°F / 200°C oven until soft, about 40-60 minutes (cooking time depends on the size of the squash/es). Remove from oven and let cool.

2. Scoop out flesh from the butternut squash and place in a food processor with the remaining ingredients. Season to taste.



Celeriac “Noodles”
:
600g / 1.3 lbs celeriac

vegetable broth



Directions:

1. Begin by peeling the celeriac. Because there is so many knotted roots on the bottom half of the vegetable, it is easiest to use a knife for this job.

2. You can either cut the round celeriac into a brick shape, or leave it round. Cut the root horizontally into very thin sheets (sharpen your knife before doing this!)

3. Braise celeriac sheets in simmering vegetable broth for 3-5 minutes depending on their thickness. Cook just until al dente – not mushy. Drain and set aside until ready to use.



Bean “Béchamel”
:
2 heaping cups butter beans (or any white bean)

nutmeg, grated to taste

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. olive oil

pinch salt if needed

¼ – ½ cup water





Directions:

1. Cook beans according to your tastes. If using canned, drain and rinse very well.

2. Put all ingredients except for water in a food processor. Add water with the motor running until a creamy sauce results, to the consistency that you like. Make as smooth as possible. Season to taste.

Assembly
:
You can freestyle this if you like, but I recommend placing the celeriac on the bottom as the first layer.



In a 8″ x 10″ (20 x 25cm) casserole dish, layer the following:

celeriac noodles

butternut squash sauce

baby spinach leaves

bean béchamel

celeriac noodles…and so on…



This recipe made enough for two full rounds of the above, plus one extra layer of celeriac and a final topping of the butternut sauce. I sprinkled fresh thyme on top with some cracked black pepper. It could also be nice with dried chili flakes, rosemary or sage.



To cook:

Bake until warmed through. Serve immediately.

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Here's the link to the original post: www.mynewroots.org/site/2012/12/butternut-squash-lasagna  I highly recommend you visit her site - she has a lot of time-saver tips on this recipe.  Plus - she has a beautiful blog.    

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