Vegetable Lasagna With Béchamel

vegetable lasagna with mushrooms and basil on top

5 from 1 vote

Vegetable Lasagna With Béchamel

Bake up a vegetable lasagna with béchamel cheese sauce. This vegetarian-friendly lasagna is the perfect, decadent main course meal. It's hearty and filled with many flavorful roasted vegetables. Whether you're looking for a warm fall dinner or a dinner party main course, this is the perfect meal!

Prep Time1 hr 20 mins

Cook Time1 hr 35 mins

Resting Time25 mins

Total Time3 hrs 20 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings (13 x 9 inch pan)

Calories: 503kcal

Author: Jessica Mode

Ingredients

Butternut Squash Sauce

6 cups (about 2 ½ pounds) peeled and coarsely chopped (¾ inch thick) butternut squash
2 red bell peppers quartered with seeds removed
1 medium yellow onion quartered with skin removed
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 ½ teaspoons Morton kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 bulbs garlic
½ cup vegetable stock

Mushroom Filling

6 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
24 ounces cremini mushrooms quartered
¾ teaspoon Morton kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper

Béchamel Cheese Sauce

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
½ cup freshly grated asiago cheese
½ teaspoon Morton kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Assembly

10 ounces lasagna noodles
16 ounces shredded low moisture mozzarella

Instructions

Butternut Squash Sauce

Heat oven to 425°F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
Place butternut squash, bell pepper, and onion on the baking pan. Toss vegetables with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season with Italian seasoning, kosher salt, and black pepper.
Peel off the outer, loose paper of the garlic bulb and cut off the top ¼ inch. Place the cut bulb on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil on top. Wrap the aluminum foil around the garlic bulb, making sure the oil olive will not drip out, and place on the sheet pan with other vegetables.
Roast vegetables and garlic for 40 minutes until they have softened and slightly browned. Allow vegetables to cool for 10 minutes.
Add roasted butternut squash, bell pepper, onion, and garlic removed from the outer paper to a high powered food processor or blender. Cover and blend on high speed while slowly streaming in vegetable broth. Stop blender occasionally to scrape sides. Blend the mixture until it’s chunky, but no large lumps remain. Set mixture aside.

Mushroom Filling

Add 2 tablespoons of butter to a heavy bottom saucepan and set it over medium heat. Once the butter has melted and is hot, stir in a third of the mushrooms until coated in butter. Allow them to cook, without stirring, until browned on one side (about 3 minutes). Flip mushrooms and allow the other side to brown for an additional 3 minutes. Transfer mushrooms from the pot to a large bowl.
Add another 2 tablespoons of butter to the pot and repeat the process with the second batch of mushrooms, and then again with the third batch. Once all the mushrooms have been cooked, season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Béchamel Cheese Sauce

In a heavy bottom saucepan (you can use the same one you cooked the mushrooms in), melt the butter over low heat. Once completely melted, whisk in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Turn heat to medium and pour in the milk while continuing to whisk. Allow the milk to heat, but not boil (about 7 minutes), whisking occasionally.
Once the milk is very hot (steaming, but not boiling) remove from heat. Slowly whisk in the cheese ½ cup at a time. Continue whisking until the cheese fully melts and no clumps remain. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Assembly

Heat oven to 375°F.
Spread ½ cup béchamel in a 13” x 9” baking dish. Top with a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles. Spread a third of the butternut squash sauce mixture over the noodles, then a third of béchamel cheese sauce, a third of the mushrooms, and finally top with a third of mozzarella cheese. Repeat the process 2 more times, starting with the noodles and ending with mozzarella, for a total of 3 layers. Alternate the direction of the noodles after each layer. Make sure all of the noodles are covered with the butternut squash sauce and béchamel so the noodles fully cook.
Cover baking dish with aluminum foil. Cook for 45 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and allow to cook for an additional 10 minutes until bubbling and browned on top. Let lasagna sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Notes

Make Ahead: Make the entire lasagna up to 24 hours in advance. Cover and store in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake it in the oven.

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