Roasted Squash, Spinach and Caramelized Onion Lasagna (Sandra)

This recipe comes from the "Kitchy Kitchen" Blog. We had this at our last gourmet night- it is one of the best lasagna's I've had.

4 cups butternut squash, cut into 1/2" cubes

16 oz spinach, washed and dried

3 onions, thinly sliced

1 lb lasagna strips (enough for three layers)

12 oz ricotta

3 balls buffalo mozzarella (or about 2-3 cups regular mozzarella)

1/2 cup grated parm (or any other hard cheese, I sometimes use gouda)

chili flake

4 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup basil, julienned

Olive oil

Butter

for the beschamel:

1 3/4 pints milk

several sprigs of parsley

1/4 teaspon nutmeg

10 peppercorns

1/2 teaspoon chili flake

1 bay leaf

6 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup flour

2/3 cup grated parm

Preheat oven to 425F.  Drizzle the butternut squash with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast the butternut squash for about 30 minutes, or under soft and browned.  Meanwhile, over medium heat, saute the spinach in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add 2 minced cloves of garlic and a pinch of chili flake.   It should be totally wilted.  Set aside on a paper towel to drain.  To caramelize the onions,  melt 1 tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Add the onions with a big pinch of salt and cook down for about 30-40 minutes (just be patient, it's worth it), until a dark brown.  Halfway through add the remaining two cloves of  minced garlic. Set aside.  

Boil the lasagna noodles until just al dente (one minute before what the box says to cook it to).  Set aside in a bowl of cool water (from the tap is fine).

Slice the mozzarella into 8 slices per ball.

For the beschamel:

Bring the milk and everything else except for the butter, flour, and pram to a simmer.  In a separate sauce pan, melt the butter and add the flour.  Stir until doughy and smelling a bit nutty (about one minute).  Strain in the milk about a half cup at a time, whisking to incorporate with the butter and flour mix.  It should be smooth and velvety, not chunky or too thick.  If it is, just add some more milk to thin it out.  Add the parm and set aside.

Pre heat the oven to 375

In a pyrex dish, place a layer of noodles, a bit of the veg, the mozzarella, dot with a third of ricotta, add the basil, and cover with a 1/4 of the beschamel.  Repeat three times, and finish with the remaining beschamel and grated parm.  

Bake for 25 minutes, or until bubbling.  Turn the broiler on and bake for another 5 minutes, or until brown and crunchy on top.  Allow to sit for 20 minutes.  Enjoy