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one portion of lasagna with distinct pasta sheets, smooth golden-orange butternut squash sauce containing fine cooked sage flecks, white ricotta layers and pale softly melted mozzarella with no browned spots or crisp oven crust, without squash cubes or garnish
Andre Lewis

Crockpot Butternut Squash Lasagna

Roast the squash until it mashes easily, then blend it with the measured milk and broth so the sauce reaches the dry noodle edges instead of sitting in stiff orange mounds. Browned sage butter gives the filling a nutty aroma, but stop the butter as soon as its milk solids turn golden and stir it straight into the puree, since a dark bitter panful would carry through every layer of this otherwise mild lasagna.
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 20 minutes
Total Time 5 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lb peeled butternut squash cut into 3/4-inch cubes
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3/4 tsp fine salt divided
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter for sage butter
  • 8 fresh sage leaves finely chopped
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup unsalted vegetable broth
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 15 oz whole-milk ricotta
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan
  • 1 tsp butter for the cooker
  • 9 oz dry oven-ready no-boil lasagna sheets
  • 6 oz low-moisture mozzarella shredded

Method
 

  1. Heat oven to 425°F. Toss squash with oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt on a sheet pan and roast for 30 to 35 minutes, turning once, until very soft and browned at a few edges.
  2. Melt the 3 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped sage and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, swirling, until the milk solids turn golden and smell nutty; immediately remove from heat.
  3. Blend roasted squash with milk, broth, remaining salt, pepper and nutmeg until completely smooth, working in batches if necessary. Stir in all the sage butter and keep the sauce pourable.
  4. Mix ricotta, egg and Parmesan in a bowl. Butter a 6-quart slow cooker and spread 3/4 cup squash sauce over the bottom; divide dry noodles into three groups and break to fit.
  5. Layer one group of noodles, one-third of the ricotta mixture, one-third of the remaining squash sauce and one-third of the mozzarella. Repeat twice, spreading sauce over every noodle edge.
  6. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, checking at 2 1/2 hours, until a knife slides through the center noodles and the filling is 165°F. Switch off and rest uncovered for 20 minutes before cutting into eight portions.