White Lasagna with Gorgonzola and Butternut Squash
Chef Barbara Freda is a restaurant chef, food and travel writer, cooking instructor, and gourmet. Nothing reluctant about this talented lady.
I was fortunate Barbara agreed to participate in my Novice to Pro interview where she talks about how she got involved in cooking, her favorite food to cook with, gadgets, and more. You can read her interview with me at interview with Chef Freda.
Plus, she sent me this recipe for white lasagna with gorgonzola cheese and butternut squash that I would like to share with you.
What Is White Lasagna?
White lasagna is a type of lasagna that is made without tomato sauce or other red ingredients, resulting in a lighter-colored dish. Instead of using a tomato-based sauce, white lasagna is typically made with a creamy, white sauce made from milk, cream, or broth, and flavored with ingredients such as garlic, onion, and herbs.
The filling for white lasagna can vary widely, but it is often made with a combination of cheese, vegetables, and meat or seafood. Some common fillings for white lasagna include spinach and ricotta cheese, mushroom and chicken, or lobster and shrimp.
White lasagna is a delicious and flavorful alternative to traditional lasagna and can be a great choice if you're looking for something a little different. It is often served as the main course at family gatherings or special occasions, and can be made ahead of time and reheated for an easy and convenient meal.
📖 Recipe
White Lasagna with Gorgonzola and Butternut Squash
Ingredients
For the Gorgonzola White Sauce
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons flour
- ¼ cup white wine
- 4 cups whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 8 oz. Gorgonzola or any blue cheese
For the Lasagna
- 1 Gorgonzola White Sauce
- 1 medium butternut squash
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped fine
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 lbs ground veal
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lb. box of no-cook lasagna noodles OR three sheets fresh pasta - sometimes available at your local Italian market
- ½ lb. shredded mozzarella
- ¼ lb. Parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
To Prepare the Sauce
- Heat butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in flour and continue to cook while stirring until it is a relatively smooth paste.
- Add wine, and stir again, smoothing out any lumps.
- Add milk, about ¼ cup at a time, stirring until smooth after each addition. Add nutmeg (freshly grated is best), salt, and pepper.
- Turn the heat to low, and let cook for about five more minutes.
- Turn the heat off, add the cheese, and stir until the cheese is melted into the sauce.
To Prepare the Lasagna
- Heat oven to 400°F
- Slice the butternut squash in half lengthwise. Scrape out seeds. Place in roasting pan, cut side up. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake until the butternut squash is completely tender about 45 minutes.
- Remove from oven, allow to cool until you can handle the squash, then scrape out softened squash into a bowl, discarding the tough shell.
- Add the chicken stock to the squash and stir to combine until the squash is smooth. Set aside.
- Reduce the oven to 350°F.
- While the squash is baking, heat the oil in a medium pan. Add onions and garlic and sauté until soft.
- Add the ground veal, salt, pepper, and sauté, stirring to break it up, until all the pink is gone from the meat. Remove from heat, drain any oil if necessary, and set aside.
- Spoon about ½ cup Gorgonzola sauce into the bottom of the roasting pan, spreading it evenly all around the bottom.
- Place about ⅓ of the squash over this, spreading it as evenly as possible.
- Spread ⅓ of the veal over this and about 1 cup of the sauce overall.
- Place one layer of noodles over the sauce.
- Sprinkle ⅓ of the mozzarella over this. Repeat the layers two more times, then finish with any remaining sauce and sprinkle the Parmigiano all over.
- Place the lasagna into the hot oven. All the ingredients are cooked, so this step is to heat the lasagna through and to "cook" the noodles.
- Check the lasagna after about 15 minutes. If it is too brown, cover the pan with foil and heat for another 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let sit for about 10 minutes before cutting it into squares and serving.
Some of My Favorite Pasta Recipes
- Cacio e Pepe Classic Recipe
- Discover the Rustic Charm of Tuscan Pici Pasta
- How to Make a Basic Orzo Salad Recipe
- This Is How to Make Spicy Ragu Sauce Over Pasta
- Cavatelli Pasta
- Cavatelli Pasta with Spring Peas and Pancetta Recipe
- Bucatini all'Amatriciana Recipe
- How to Make Strozzapreti Pasta with Guanciale Sauce
michelle cardwell
is there a slimming world version of this? im finding it terribly difficult to find a white pasta sauce
James lubinskas
Great. Fantastic. Creative. Delicious.