Butternut squash lasagna pie that looks like a cake, rather than a casserole, sets the tone for a fall celebration. Outside, the leaves are slowly showing their brilliant colors. Invigorating sense of changes is in the air as a new school year or a new routine is gradually taking form. Whether you feel like celebrating or not, a savory butternut squash pie feels right to usher in the tempo of shorter days and frostier nights ahead.
Even the sideview of a slice of butternut squash lasagna pie evokes the senses of autumn. The orange tone of squash, interspersed with the dark green of basil and spinach leaves no doubt of the arrival of fall. In addition, the smooth and thick layer of béchamel atop the pie feels like the warm big hug of a cozy blanket we want to have close by.
Now we’ve set the mood and our mind for the butternut squash pie, it’s time to make one for lunch or a light meal. Start by making the red pepper sauce, which is tossed together with the sliced squash and broken lasagna sheets. Very much like the red or the white sauce that usually fills the layers in a lasagna, except the red pepper sauce is so much more flavorful.
The red pepper sauce really makes the pie sing. The selection of recipe ingredients is masterful in bringing out the sweetness of the squash and more. These are the ingredients: lots of garlic cloves, tomato pastes, crushed cumin and coriander seeds, quite a bit of Aleppo chili flakes, a jar of red peppers (or roast peppers at 350°F for 25 minutes, then seed and peel), brown sugar and seasoning.
Other fillings in the pie besides the red pepper sauce are two cheeses and greens. You need feta and grated Parmesan. The greens include baby spinach and basil leaves. The easy part of the process is there’s no need to carefully layering of the various components: the sauce, the pasta, the butternut squash, the cheeses or the greens. Everything gets tossed together in a free-form arrangement. Simply apply slight pressure and press down on the ingredients in the pan and bake.
Equipment wise, you do need a 9-inch springform cake pan and line it with parchment paper. Also, make sure you get dry lasagna sheets for baking, otherwise the pasta may not soften during the one-hour baking. It may be advisable to use fresh homemade pasta in sheets that you can break up into smaller pieces. Even odd pieces could find a place in the pie.
In the end, everything turns out to be imperfectly perfect layers of a pie full of fall flavors and appeal. The moment I finish the pie, I want to make another one. This pie is utterly irresistible and sensational.
Butternut Squash Lasagna Pie
This comforting dish lands somewhere between a lasagna and a pie. Thinly sliced butternut squash and broken dried lasagna noodles are all tossed together in one bowl with cheese, spices and a red pepper sauce, then pressed into a cake pan before baking, at which point everything softens and cooks together into imperfectly perfect layers. A simple béchamel topping is made while your pie is in the oven, leaving you ample time to get on with assembling a big salad or a side dish of your choosing.
Ingredients
- FOR THE PIE:
- ¼ cup olive oil, plus more for greasing the pan
- 8 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, roughly crushed in a mortar and pestle
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, roughly crushed in a mortar and pestle
- 2 teaspoons Aleppo chile flakes
- 1 (12-ounce) jar red peppers, drained
- 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
- Fine sea salt and black pepper
- 1 small butternut squash (about 1 ¾ pounds), peeled, halved, deseeded and cut into ⅛-inch-thick slices
- 8 ounces dried lasagna noodles (for baking), each roughly broken into 3 or 4 pieces
- 7 ounces baby spinach (10 lightly packed cups)
- 1 packed cup basil leaves, torn in halves
- 1 cup crumbled Greek feta
- Heaping ½ cup finely grated Parmesan
- FOR THE BÉCHAMEL:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups whole milk, plus more if needed
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Fine sea salt
- ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan
Instructions
MAKE THE PIE: Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9-inch springform cake pan then line it with a piece of parchment paper large enough to cover the base and hang over the sides by a couple inches; set aside.
MAKE THE RED PEPPER SAUCE: Add the oil to a small frying pan and heat over medium-high. Once it’s hot, add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, stirring until fragrant but not browned. Add the tomato paste, cumin, coriander and chile flakes and cook for 1 minute more, stirring often, until deeply red. Set aside to cool slightly, then add to a small food processor with the red peppers, sugar, ½ teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper; blitz until smooth.
MIX TOGETHER THE LASAGNA INGREDIENTS AND BAKE: Empty the mixture into a very large bowl and add the squash, lasagna sheets, spinach, basil, feta, Parmesan, 1¼ teaspoons salt and a good grind of pepper. Use your hands to make sure everything is nicely coated. Transfer this mixture to your lined cake pan, adding a third at a time and pressing lightly to ensure everything is even and compact. Using heavy-duty aluminum foil, wrap the cake pan all around until tightly sealed, place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour.
MAKE THE BÉCHAMEL: Toward the last 15 minutes of baking time, make the béchamel: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking steadily, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until it starts to smell like popcorn. Slowly pour in the milk ½ cup at a time, whisking with each addition until fully incorporated. Turn the heat down to medium. Then add the garlic and ¼ teaspoon salt. Use a spatula to stir and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to ensure the bottom doesn’t scorch, until nice and smooth. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan. If the pie isn’t done, cover the top with a piece of parchment paper to prevent a skin from forming. The béchamel is easier to handle when warm; if needed, reheat gently with a splash of milk to loosen.
SPOON THE BÉCHAMEL ON TOP: After the pie has cooked for 1 hour, remove it from the oven and carefully unwrap the top foil and paper, crinkling it down and around the sides of the pan to expose the top. Spoon the béchamel on top, using a spatula to distribute it evenly over the surface. (Take care not to mix it with the base; you want the béchamel to remain white.)
FINISH THE BAKE AT 450°F: Turn the oven temperature up to 450 degrees, place the cake pan back on its baking sheet and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, rotating halfway through, until nicely browned on top. Set aside to cool for at least 15 minutes.
SERVE: Carefully release the pie from the springform pan, loosening the outer ring then using the parchment to help lift it onto a serving plate or board. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023449-butternut-squash-lasagna-pie
2 Comments
Kim
October 23, 2022 at 12:42 pmLooks like we were both thinking about butternut squash this week! This looks right up my alley and I can see how the red pepper sauce really adds to the recipe. It’s gorgeous and oh so seasonal!
Butternut Squash Lasagna Pie | Yotam Ottolenghi — Ever Open Sauce | My Meals are on Wheels
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