Butternut Squash Lasagna

A warming and delectable winter soup by Chef Rachel of Pair With Dead Oak, located just south of Paso Robles. **Photo by Hugo Martinez Visuals**

Just south of Paso Robles, you’ll find Pair With Dead Oak — a reservation-only hyper-seasonal drink-and-dish pairing menu created through a partnership between California Central Coast recipe developer Chef Rachel and Dead Oak Brewery. Starting her menus by choosing the wine or beer choice, Chef Rachel is known for tailoring her in-season dishes to create complementary flavors with each of her drink pairings. Her menus fuse together varying local ingredients seasoned with warm spices and decadent textures.

Butternut Squash Lasagna

Serves 12

Ingredients

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 ½ lb ground beef

1 lb ground pork

2 cups butternut squash, diced and peeled

1 tsp salt

4 tbsp butter

¼ cup flour

1 ½ cups milk

½ cup cream

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup fresh shredded Parmesan

13 oz no-precook lasagna sheets

17 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat; add garlic for one minute until fragrant, then add the ground beef and pork and cook while breaking it up until browned. Drain out any excess fat and set aside.

In a large pot of water with the heat on high, add chopped butternut squash. When it comes to a boil add a big pinch of salt and turn to medium heat, top pot with a lid and let simmer for 12-15 minutes.

In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Remove from heat, add the flour and whisk until well blended. Place pot back onto stove, reduce heat to low and slowly whisk in one cup at a time of milk, cream, and spices until incorporated. Mix well after every addition so you don’t cause lumps to form.

Once that is ready, add the creamy butternut squash mixture. It should be a creamy consistency, but if needed you can add more milk.

Increase the heat to medium and continue cooking the sauce until it thickens, 5-7 minutes. Add Parmesan cheese, remove from heat, and stir until the cheese is melted.

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Spoon 1 cup of béchamel on the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish and then cover with lasagna sheets. Trim sheets if needed to fit the dish.

Layer 1/3 of the meat, 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese, and 1 cup of béchamel, repeating layers 3 times. To top the lasagna, pour over the rest of the béchamel and shaved Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil.

Bake for 35 minutes, uncover, and bake another 10 minutes until golden and bubbling. Allow sitting for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with basil and extra shaved Parmesan.

Read here for insight and information with which to plan your trip to California’s Central Coast.

STORY BY Natalya Sutmiller / PHOTOGRAPHY BY Hugo Martinez Visuals