More Butternut Squash

Several weeks ago we made butternut squash ravioli adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. The original recipe calls for a brown butter sauce with pecans and sage; however, we were out of both so I used filberts and the other herbs. The ravioli and sauce were delicious, but it was quite a project to make the ravioli pasta. I still had butternut squash and filberts left from my thanksgiving pies, and wanted to try it again. This week, I didn't have the time or energy to make the pasta. I decided to use gyoza wrappers to make the ravioli; however, unfortunately, the ones we bought at the store were moldy when I opened the new package. I had a handful of lasagna noodles, mozzarella cheese, spinach, and mushroms at home, so I decided to make the butternut squash filling into a lasagna.

Butternut Squash Lasagna

12 lasagna noodles

large handfuls of spinach (from CSA)

5 mushrooms sliced

6 oz mozzarella cheese diced

Olive oil

I often make a tomato based lasagna without cooking the noodles first, but decided that because this time I was not going to use a sauce, I needed to cook the noodles first.

Sautéed chopped mushrooms and baby spinach with garlic in olive oil. Layer cooked lasagna noodles with butternut squash filling, spinach, mushrooms, and cheese. Add another layer of noodles and repeat toppings. Add one final layer of noodles, cover with cheese.

Add water to the bottom of the pan. Cover with tin foil and bake 350F for 30 minutes. (I neglected to cover the pan at first and the noodles on top got a little too crunchy.) When cooked through, top with brown butter sauce (this really finishes the pasta--it's not nearly as good without the flavors of the sauce).

Butternut Squash Filling

2 c butternut squash roasted (from CSA)

2 T butter

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 c Parmesan cheese

1/2 c bread crumbs (I've tried this with just a toasted and food processed piece of bread and matzo meal--both work fine)

Mix all of the ingredients together in the food processor until very smooth.

Brown Butter Sauce

4-6 T butter

1 clove garlic

2 T dried parsley

2 t dried thyme

1/2 c chopped filberts (from Thistledown Farm)

Add all ingredients to skillet and cook until butter is melted