Butternut Squash Lasagna and a great blog

I had the pleasure of meeting a local blogger and amazing photographer Jennifer Olson. She recently purchased The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook and posted about it on her blog. You have to check out her photo's -- amazing -- I don't think the lasagna looks that good when I make it.

Jennifer's blog is called Localette and you can check it out at www.localette.com .

And by the way, there are only a few left of the books with the printer error of a green circle on the cover at half price so if you are thinking of getting this book, you don't want to wait. 

And here's the recipe:

Butternut Lasagna

Sweet winter squash and lasagna are both favorites of mine. Together, they are even better. If you are using a food processor, chop the nuts first before you make the fillings to save you having to wash and dry between steps. The filling and sauce can be made ahead of time, and you don’t need to precook the noodles.

9 to 11 lasagna noodles, preferably whole grain

1/2 onion, minced

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 cups chopped spinach, kale, chard, or other dark green leafy vegetable

3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1/2 cup boiling water

 

Tofu Filling:

1 1/2 pounds firm or silken tofu

2 eggs or 2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons dried basil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

 

Sauce:

3 cups mashed cooked butternut squash

3/4 cup milk (dairy or nondairy)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon miso

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

 

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Sauté onion in olive oil until soft. Stir in garlic and greens. If greens are dry, add a little water. Cover and steam 5 minutes or until soft. Set aside.

Place tofu filling ingredients in food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. Remove to bowl and set aside. Place sauce ingredients in food processor or blender. Puree until smooth.

Assemble lasagna as follows: Cover bottom of 9 x 13-inch pan with thin layer of sauce. Place a single layer of lasagna noodles in bottom of pan. Leave a little space between the noodles because they will expand when cooked. Spread 1/2 of the tofu filling over noodles. Sprinkle 1/2 of the cooked greens over tofu. Spread 1/3 of the butternut sauce over the greens. Repeat for one more layer. Place noodle layer on top and cover with butternut sauce. Sprinkle chopped nuts evenly over squash. Pour boiling water in corners and around edges of lasagna. Cover pan with foil and bake for 35 minute. Remove cover and bake 10 minutes. Allow to stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

 

Makes 8 servings

 

Note: To save time, you can buy frozen pureed squash. Many markets also carry fresh or frozen peeled and cut squash that can be quickly steamed.

 

Variation: Ricotta cheese can be substituted for tofu. Only use 1 egg or 1 tablespoon olive oil if using ricotta cheese.