If you have a problem with your lasagnas drying out, have some of the marinara sauce set side, and warm it up and serve a ladleful on top of the finished lasagna when plating. I think the best innovation to come around in a long time is no-boil lasagna. Delverde and Di Cecco make it — it comes in two tins — and so does Barilla (which doesn’t come in baking tins). Not only are they much easier to use, but the resultant pasta cooks to al dente rather than soggy. This lasagna freezes well after baking. Makes two 9-by-9-inch lasagnas.
Ingredients
1 butternut squash (about 3 pounds)
3 eggs
9 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ricotta cheese (hand packed is best)
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leafed parsley
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 cups marinara sauce (see recipe), warmed (set aside 2 cups for garnish)
1 package no-boil lasagna (see note)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
Cut the squash in quarters, and remove the seeds. Place on a baking tray and bake until soft, about 40 minutes.
Turn the oven down to 400 degrees.
Peel the squash, and pass the flesh through a potato ricer. If you don’t have a ricer, you can blend it in the food processor for a minute to get it started, but do not blend until totally smooth or the squash will be heavy. Better to finish off the mashing by hand with a fork or potato masher. Place in a bowl, and add 1 egg, 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.
In another bowl combine the ricotta, 2 eggs, 3 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, parsley, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.
Pour a ladle of marinara sauce in the bottom of the 9-by-9 or similar baking tin. Add a layer of lasagna noodles. Spread the pasta with a big kitchen spoonful of the squash, then a ladle of sauce, then another sheet of pasta, then a big kitchen spoonful of ricotta, topped by a ladle of sauce, and so on, until you have reached the top of the pan. Don’t press down on the lasagna sheets. Finish with sauce and then sprinkle 2 tablespoons of Parmesan on top the lasagna. Repeat for the second lasagna.
Cover with aluminum foil, and bake for about 40 minutes, until the lasagna is bubbling. Allow it to rest about 5 minutes before cutting. Garnish each portion with about 1/4 cup of hot marinara poured over.
Note: If you use regular lasagna pasta, bring a large pot of water to boil, and drop in the lasagna sheets. When the pasta is al dente, drain and run under cold water until cool enough to handle. Lay the sheets out on paper towels — don’t overlap them or leave them in the colander, or they will stick.
