gluten free, meat free, but through the ROOF with flavor, y’all!

remember that dinner party i posted?  this is the recipe for the butternut squash yumminess from that night.

it all started with a recipe from giada de laurentiis ~ i found it years ago and have been making her version for years.  thank you, giada!  but for my recent dinner party, i decided to give it a fresh twist and clean it up a bit ~ except for the cheese.  i don’t know if this recipe can survive without cheese, i’m sorry to say.  but i did take out the meat, the noodles, and i even used greek yogurt for the béchamel, instead of heavy cream.  so that’s pretty awesome, right?

here’s a picture…

it’s the gooey, cheesy, orange creation on the left ~ not to be overshadowed by the rigatoni with mushroom ragu.

here’s my souped up, clean recipe!

GF BUTTERNUT SQUASH LASAGNA

for your grocery shopping needs, here’s your ingredient list:

1. 1 large butternut squash
2. olive oil or butter
3. 1 garlic clove
4. kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
5. crushed red pepper
6. amaretti cookies (optional)
7. 3 large zucchinis
8. 1 medium container (about 2 cups) fage total greek yogurt
9. almond milk or real milk
10. 3/4 cup or more fresh basil
11. nutmeg
12. at least 1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
13. 5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
14. FOIL!

there are four layers to this lasagna, and could very easily be five if you want to add italian sausage or mushrooms.  large sliced portobellos would be gorgeous in this dish.

layer 1:

cut one butternut squash in half length-wise, rub with olive oil, and roast in a 400 degree oven until soft and caramelized ~ 45 minutes to an hour.

take a nap or do a load of laundry while you’re waiting.

when it’s done, allow to cool, and then scoop out the seeds and cut the squash away from the skin.  season with salt and pepper, crushed red pepper and (optional) crumbled amaretti cookies, and blitz in a food processor.  don’t forget to taste to make sure it’s seasoned right.

layer 2: 

slice 3 large zucchinis length-wise.  not paper thin ~ just normal thin.  you want them to hold up a little in the baking process.

layer 3:

this is the best and cleanest béchamel ever created.  and the easiest!  in a frying pan, add a pat of butter or olive and sauté a whole clove of garlic over medium heat.  turn off the heat and take the clove out.  drop in 2 cups greek yogurt (i like fage total).  i think 2 cups is the medium size container.  or get two small containers.  add a little almond milk or real milk as you are stirring to thin it out to a gravy consistency.  add salt and pepper to taste, fresh-grated parmesan cheese to your heart’s content, and 1 teaspoon or more of nutmeg.  that is one gorgeous béchamel!

take about 1/2 cup of the sauce and blitz in the food processor with as much basil as you can get your hands on.  3/4 cup or more.  the sauce will be green and beautiful.  add it to the rest of the béchamel and stir.  stunning.

layer 4: 

you’ll probably use 5 cups mozzarella cheese, and 1 cup grated parmesan, when all is said and done.

okay, butter a 9×13 glass pan and preheat the oven to 375.

the layers go like this:

• béchamel
• zucchini
• butternut squash
• cheese
• repeat until it’s all gone.
• top with a layer of mozzarella and the parmesan.

bake covered with foil for 25 minutes, then take off the foil and let the cheese brown ~ another 20 minutes or so.  just watch it and make sure it’s all brown on the top.  and think about it ~ you don’t have any raw layers or pasta that needs cooking, so you don’t have to worry!  just get that cheese brown and bubbly.

now i’m hungry for this dish all over again!