roasted vegetable lasagna

I have been wanting to try a butternut squash lasagna and I found a couple different recipes that looked interesting so I decided to make both kinds and compare.  This one uses roasted squash, homemade ricotta cheese, homemade noodles, a second cheese and a tomato sauce that I canned this summer. 

First I made the homemade ricotta cheese.  It only takes a couple ingredients and a little bit of time to make ricotta cheese.  The recipe that I followed made a bigger amount than I thought I would need so I halved all of the ingredients. 

homemade ricotta cheese

2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp white wine vinegar (I used a champagne vinegar)

Combine the milk and cream with the salt in a stainless or enamel saucepan and bring to a full boil over medium heat.  Remove from heat and add the vinegar.  Wait one minute to allow it to curdle.  Then strain it by pouring the mixture into a sieve that contains a double layer of damp cheesecloth.  I poured mine through a chinois. The curds are caught and the whey is allowed to pass into the bowl below.  I allowed mine to stay in the strainer for 30 minutes.  The longer it sits the more whey is removed and the thicker/drier it becomes.  Refrigerate.

the milk, cream, salt and vinegar that will become cheese

the whey goes in the bowl

The curds are caught in the strainer

about a cup of homemade ricotta

 Next I got the vegetables roasting.  The inspiration recipe used butternut squash and onion but listed a whole group of vegetables that could be substituted as well as a several cheeses.  I decided to use the same roasted vegetables as was in the savory butternut squash soup.  I really liked the flavor of the soup with its squash, carrots, onions, garlic and apple so that is what I roasted..

roasted vegetables

1/2 large butternut squash cut into small cubes
3 carrots, cut into cubes
1 medium onion, cut into small chunks
3 garlic cloves, quartered
drizzle olive oil

Combine the vegetable pieces in a bowl with the olive oil and any seasonings.  Mix to coat the vegetables and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake in 425° oven for 30 minutes or until tender.

homemade lasagna noodles

While the vegetables were roasting I made the pasta dough and once it had 'rested' I rolled it into thin sheets.

I then cut them to length and laid them on parchment paper to keep them from sticking together. 

Then it was time to assemble the lasagna.

thin layer of tomato sauce goes on the bottom

then lasagna noodles

more tomato sauce

1/2 of the ricotta cheese

1/2 of the roasted vegetables

one half of the second cheese--I used Feta

the layers are repeated

topped with tomato sauce

and Parmesan cheese.

  I baked the lasagna at425 for 50 minutes covered and then another 5 uncovered.

It had good flavor.  I think that next time I will have a thicker layer of tomato on the top.




source:  ricotta cheese recipe here:
source:  adapted from this recipe.
source: pasta recipe here.