Butternut Squash Lasagna
variation on a recipe by Giada De Laurentiis - serves 12

Jackie and I both made this recipe. I left out the amaretti cookies and the basil, and kept my butternut squash in chunks. The dish was not memorable. Jackie followed the recipe exactly and said it was the best butternut squash lasagna she'd ever had. Her enthusiasm was extreme, and she convinced me to follow the recipe through as it was written. She explained that the amaretti cookies were a key component. And she was absolutely right. The amaretti cookies are those tiny, brown, round Italian meringues wrapped two together in a pretty printed tissue, twisted at both ends. Unfortunately, I could only acquire three if I purchased a one pound, $30 tin. So be it. They are quite nice with tea and keep for years apparently. The cookies do make the squash taste so good it is almost dessert.
The addition of basil to the white sauce also brings an important flavor. I did have issues with Giada's béchamel however, and have given a more reliable formula here.
For this, I used those "no boil" lasagna noodles (using 4 for each layer because they are short). I boiled them briefly as described to soften them up because they need to be made moist.
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 amaretti cookies, crumbled
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3-1/2 cups WHOLE milk
a pinch of ground nutmeg
 3/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
8 ounces whole milk mozzarella, shredded
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1 Roast the Squash: Preheat oven to 400°. Toss the butternut squash with the olive oil and some salt and pepper on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast the squash until tender, about an hour. Stirring the squash once or twice during cooking.
2 Transfer the squash to a food processor. Add the amaretti cookies and 1/4 cup of water. Blend until smooth, adding more water if necessary. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
3 Make the Béchamel: Melt the butter in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Whisk constantly, until mixture is thick and just about to boil (12 minutes). Remove from heat, add the nutmeg and cool slightly. Transfer half of the sauce to a blender. Add the basil and blend until smooth. Return the basil sauce to the sauce in the pan and stir to blend. Season with salt and pepper.
4 Assemble and the Lasagna: Preheat oven to 375°. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil just before assembling the lasagna. You will cook the lasagna noodles halfway through, 3 at a time as you need them to layer the lasagna. Start by spraying a 13 x 19 x 2-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Reserve 1 cup of combined mozzarella and jack cheeses for the top of lasagna. Spread 3/4 cup of the basil sauce in the bottom of the dish. Cook 3 lasagna noodles in the boiling water until semi-soft (just a few minutes). Remove with tongs and drain briefly in a colander, then arrange noodles over the sauce, covering the base of the dish. Spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles and sprinkle with some of the mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup of basil sauce over the cheese. Repeat layering the noodles, squash, cheese and sauce 2 more times. Top with remaining 3 noodles. Drizzle with remaining sauce.

5 Bake: Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover the lasagna and sprinkle with 1 cup reserved mozzarella and jack cheeses along with the Romano or Parmesan. Continue baking, uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving.