maple butternut squash lasagna
My daughter has been reacting to tomatoes lately. Within minutes of eating them her face becomes flushed with red silver-dollar sized circles – almost as if someone has applied blush to her barely 4 year old cheeks. Strangely enough it’s not an effect produced by canned tomatoes (which can sometimes cause a reaction for some people) but fresh tomatoes. My quest in making this lasagna was in fact geared toward my little girl. I had my “a-ha” moment when I remembered Kelly over at the thespunkycoconut posted a recipe for butternut squash lasagna last winter (click here for the recipe). I tweaked her recipe a bit but – like her – I could not stop eating it. It was delicious. Thanks Kelly!
for the cream sauce (roux):
4 tblsp ghee
4 tblsp brown rice flour
1 cup hemp milk
1 cup almond or cashew milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp kosher salt
1.) In a small saucepan over medium high heat, melt the ghee. Spoon in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 2-3 minutes. Slowly pour in the milk and cook whisking occasionally until the mixture thickens.
2.) Add 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture into the beaten eggs (just to warm them up so they don’t scramble). Then, pour the warmed eggs into the thickened milk mixture and whisk constantly for 2 minutes until the eggs are cooked. Remove from the heat. Set aside.
for the squash filling:
4 cups cooked butternut squash, mashed with a fork
1/3 cup (grade B) maple syrup
1 tblsp freshly chopped sage
for the pasta:
1 box Tinkyada lasagna noodles, boiled for only 10 minutes (in 2 batches). You don’t want to cook these through because they will finish cooking in the oven.
1.) Begin building your lasagna by spreading 1/2 cup of the cream sauce along the bottom of an ovenproof dish. Layer three noodles over the top.
2.) Spread 1/2 cup of the squash mixture covering the noodles. Layer three noodles over the top.
3.) Spread 1/2 cup cream sauce. Layer three noodles over the top.
4.) Repeat. Your final layer (on top) with be a double layer of remaining cream sauce topped with squash.
5.) Bake on 350 for 50 minutes. I like Kelly covered my dish with a cookie sheet instead of aluminum foil.
Tags: dairy free lasagna, gluten free lasagna, non dairy roux, soy free lasagna, tinkyada
I am sorry to hear about your girl’s reaction to tomatoes. Yikes! Is it something in the enzymes that are destroyed during the canning process?
I’ve always wondered about combining pasta and pumpkin/squash. This definitely makes me want to give it a try. Especially since you’ve featured a non-dairy roux. It’s challenging to find pasta recipes without tons of cheese and milk!
Hi Jenn
thanks for the kind words. That’s the weird part – the reaction comes from both fresh and canned tomatoes. Poor little thing – she just adores them too. A while back she begged me to have a few bites – because I made fish provencal with sliced fresh tomatoes – and the rash was the worst it’s ever been – she started screaming. Guilt, guilt, guilt.
Next time I make this butternut lasagna, I think I’ll saute some mushrooms with some shallots and sage and stir them into the squash puree. I think it would add such an earthy dimension to it…..
Have a wonderful thanksgiving!
I’m so happy you guys enjoyed this! Thank you so much for posting about it. I’m so sorry to hear about the reaction to tomatoes. It’s something that I made that is gluten and casein free for my family’s allergies/intolerances, and that it never even occurred to me that it could help someone avoid tomatoes. I am so thankful that this helped her. Also, I didn’t know you guys were planning to move to the East Coast. What part?
Love, Kelly
you are so welcome – as always, you never cease to inspire me!
Northern New Jersey. My hubby has been working there for 18 months. As much as we would prefer to stay here – it’s extremely hard on our family to be apart. So, we are hopeful that things will work out…. It’s sort of scary (living somewhere else is going to be an adjustment – we’ve been here 15 years) but exciting at the same time (who knows what it will bring – and after all – everything happens for a reason, eh?)
I see that New Mexico was wonderful – I’m happy you all had a great time!
One of my best friends lives in northern NJ. I love it there. The people are so great. I know you will make a great life for yourselves there :-) I also love it here, but I told Andy, if he got a job in Santa Fe or Tucson it would be fine with me. I was crazy about both :-) Tucson in particular is full of gluten-free places and people. Huge community there.
You know, I have never been to Tuscon. It’s so encouraging to hear that there are so many gluten free options there. Perhaps that’s an indication that the tide is finally turning in general. Wouldn’t that be wonderful!
thank you, Kelly. I try not to be sad about leaving because it is SO easy to be gluten free/food sensitive here. But, we went to NJ in summertime (2008) and my children called it “the forest” – we really loved it. My brother lives in NYC so we’d be thrilled to live closer to him!! And of course there’s the ocean….that smell is something I really miss from my childhood. At this point, we just have to play the waiting game. Whatever is meant to be, right?
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving – we are so excited for 60 degree weather on Thursday!