Butternut Squash, Asparagus, and Pea Lasagna

Héloïse Brion, who learned the art of cooking and casual-chic entertaining from her French grandmother, shares a rustic vegetable lasagna from her book, MISS MAGGIE’S KITCHEN
Butternut Squash, Asparagus, and Pea Lasagna served on an dinner plate with a traditional red-on-white floral pattern
Filled with butternut squash and seasoned with sage, this dish would be lovely for a nontraditional Thanksgiving. Excerpted from Miss Maggie’s Kitchen: Relaxed French Entertaining by Héloïse Brion (Flammarion, 2020). Photo by Christophe Roué

Butternut Squash, Asparagus, and Pea Lasagna

Serves 6–8

Active Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 butternut squash (or pumpkin)
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp finely chopped fresh sage leaves
  • 2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 3/4 cups (8 3/4 oz./250 g) fresh green peas
  • 2 bunches thin asparagus, ends trimmed, cut into pieces
  • 1 1/4 cups (10 1/2 oz./300 g) ricotta
  • 12 oven-ready lasagna noodles (no pre-cooking needed)
  • 1 1/4 cups (4 1/4  oz./120 g) grated Parmesan
  • 3 1/2 oz. (100 g) fresh arugula
  • 2 balls burrata cheese (about 8 oz./250 g each), cut into pieces
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions

1 | Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C/Gas Mark 6).

2 | Peel and cut the butternut squash into pieces and set on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil and the honey, and sprinkle with the cinnamon, sage, and salt to taste. Toss to coat the squash and bake for 25 minutes, until the squash is tender and lightly caramelized around the edges.

3 | Meanwhile, cook the onions in a skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt over low heat until very soft. Remove from the heat.

4 | Bring a large pan of generously salted water to a boil, add the peas and asparagus, and blanch for 4 minutes. Plunge into a bowl of ice water and drain well.

5 | In a large bowl, combine the peas, asparagus, onions, and ricotta. Season with salt and pepper.

6 | Process the roasted butternut squash to a thin puree in a food processor or blender, adding a little water or milk if necessary. Taste for seasoning.

7 | Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C/Gas Mark 4). Spread a thin layer of butternut squash puree across the base of a lasagna pan and cover with a layer of lasagna noodles. Top the pasta with a thin layer of the ricotta mixture, followed by another layer of butternut squash puree. Sprinkle with Parmesan and repeat with the remaining ingredients, ending with a layer of pasta topped with a thin layer of puree and Parmesan. Bake for 45–50 minutes.

8 | Just before serving, scatter the arugula and burrata over the lasagna and season with pepper.


Recipe excerpted from Miss Maggie’s Kitchen: Relaxed French Entertaining by Héloïse Brion (Flammarion, 2020)

book cover for Miss Maggie’s Kitchen: Relaxed French Entertaining (Flammarion, 2020)