Roasted Butternut Squash Lasagne

Ingredients

• 1
  
  medium butternut squash
  
• 2 – 4
  
  tablespoons olive oil, divided
  
• 1
  
  large red onion, sliced
  
• 1
  
  pound crimini mushrooms, cut into four (or more if they’re larger)
  
• 1 1/4
  
  cups vegetable stock, divided
  
• 4
  
  teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, divided
  
• 4
  
  teaspoons fresh sage, minced and divided
  
• 1
  
  pound ricotta cheese
  
• 2
  
  cups grated parmigiano reggiano cheese, divided
  
• 2
  
  large eggs
  
• 3
  
  cups grated fontina cheese, divided
  
• 4
  
  sheets fresh, uncooked, spinach lasagne noodles, about 1 pound
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly coat a 13 x 9 x 2 lasagne pan with olive or other vegetable oil.
2. Cut squash in half and roast open side down on a lightly oiled baking sheet for about 40 minutes, or until soft, in 400 degree oven.
3. While squash is roasting, put 1 -2 tablespoons olive oil in an already heated saute pan over medium heat and add the onions. Let caramelize over medium heat for about 30 minutes, until soft and brown but not dried and frizzled. When finished, remove to a bowl and set aside.
4. Set pan back over medium to medium/high heat and add another 1 -2 tablespoons olive oil to the pan. Add the mushrooms and let cook until softened and some of the liquid cooks off, about 8 – 10 minutes.
5. Take squash out of oven and let cool until cool enough to handle. Lower heat in oven to 350 degrees. I usually get the thyme and sage ready at this point.
6. Once squash is cool enogh to handle, scoop out the roasted flesh (should be about 2 cups, more is fine) and place into a medium sized bowl. Add 1 cup of the vegetable stock, and 1 tablespoon each of the thyme and sage. I have been using a homemade vegetable bouillon which has salt, but if you have salt free stock, add some salt here. Mix contents with a fork until you achieve a sort of lumpy puree.
7. In another bowl, add ricotta cheese, 1 cup of the parmigiano reggiano, 2 eggs, the other 1/4 cup of vegetable stock and 1 teaspoon each of the thyme and sage. Mix well.
8. Set the bowls of butternut squash, caramelized onions, mushrooms, ricotta cheese, as well as the fontina cheese and noodles, around your lasagne pan and start layering. You can do it however you like but the following seems to work well.
9. Start with about 1/3 of the ricotta mixture and spread around the bottom of the pan.
10. Cover with 1 noodle sheet, cut to fit the pan if too large.
11. Cover noodle with 1/2 of the squash mixture, followed by 1/2 the onions.
12. Sprinkle 1/3 of the fontina cheese on top.
13. Add second noodle.
14. Cover noodle with the second 1/3 of the ricotta mixture.
15. Add the mushrooms and their liquid.
16. Add the third noodle on top.
17. Add the rest of the butternut squash mixture.
18. Add the rest of the caramelized onions.
19. Add the next 1/3 of the fontina cheese.
20. Add the last noodle.
21. Layer on the rest of the ricotta mixture, then the rest of the fontina and the other cup of parmesan cheese sprinked over top.
22. Cover pan with lightly oiled foil (or parchment paper) and bake in 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until bubbling inside. Take off cover and bak ean additional 30 minutes or so, until top is nicely browned. Let sit fo 5 or 10 minutes to set before cutting.