Bourbon Butternut Squash Lasagna

Bourbon Butternut Squash Lasagna

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (separated) Bourbon
  • For the lasagna:
  • 5 Tbsp butter
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 3½ cups milk
  • 2 tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 large butternut squash, halved, peeled, and seeds removed
  • 2 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut in half
  • 1 red onion, peeled and cut in half
  • 1 package no-boil lasagna noodles
  • 2 tsp nutmeg, separated
  • 2 cups ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese
  • ½ cup bourbon
  • Salt, to taste

Directions:

Serves 6-8

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

In a large baking sheet, add 1 cup of water, ½ cup bourbon, butternut squash, onion, and apples all cut side down. Cover with aluminum foil and roast for 45 minutes, or until butternut squash is fork-tender. Reserve the roasting liquid for later use.

While the butternut squash is cooking, prepare the sauce: Melt the butter in a saucepan, add ½ cup of bourbon, and stir to combine. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Slowly stir in the milk and the remainder of the nutmeg. Bring to a simmer until thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.

In batches, add the butternut squash, apple, onion, and some roasting liquid to a food processor or blender and blend until creamy. Repeat the process until all the butternut squash and apples are blended together. Mix in the remaining 1 tsp nutmeg and salt to taste.

To assemble the lasagna: Add a ladle of sauce to the bottom of the lasagna pan. Then, layer the butternut squash mixture, lasagna noodles, ricotta, sauce, and noodles. Repeat in that order until the pan is full. Top with more sauce and Gruyère cheese.

Bake the lasagna according to the directions on the noodle package, roughly 30 minutes, until bubbly and golden brown. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.