Ingredients
10 TB butter, divided
8 oz fontina cheese, grated
8 oz mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 lb Jersey Fresh butternut squash, peeled, seeded and sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick
1 Jersey Fresh Honeycrisp or Gala apple, peeled, cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 TB light, unrefined olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 TB extra-virgin olive oil
1 Jersey Fresh onion, thinly sliced
5 oz (about 1 small bunch) Jersey Fresh kale, center stems removed, leaves roughly chopped
1 clove Jersey Fresh garlic, finely grated
1/4 cup Sauvignon Blanc
9 lasagna noodles (no-boil type works well, too)
4 cups whole milk
1/2 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
10 Jersey Fresh sage leaves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Steps
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking dish with 3 TB of butter and set aside.
2. Mix the two cheeses together and refrigerate them until ready to use.
3. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. On one, arrange the squash slices in a single layer. On the other, arrange the apple slices. Drizzle each sheet with 1 TB of light, unrefined olive oil and massage onto the squash and apples. Season with salt and pepper. Place the apples on the top tier of the oven if possible, and roast until the squash and apples begin to soften and edges are lightly crisp, about 15 minutes, keeping a watchful eye that the apples do not burn. Remove from the oven and set aside. Reduce the oven temperate to 350 degrees.
4. Add the extra-virgin olive oil to a 12-inch skillet over low-medium heat. When hot and shimmery, add the onion and lightly sprinkle with salt. Sauté, stirring often, until the onion is tender and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add the kale and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Note that the kale should be done to your liking, as it will not soften much further in the oven and will only cook for a few minutes longer with the addition of the wine. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the wine and cook until it has completely reduced, 3to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the kale mixture to a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, gently toss and set aside.
5. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. (If you are using no-boil noodles you can skip this step.)
6. Generously salt the water and add the lasagna. Cook until a few minutes shy of al dente, tender yet firm to the bite, according the the package directions. Drain and set aside in a single layer on parchment paper to cool.
7. In a small saucepan, heat the milk, taking care not to scorch. In another medium saucepan, melt 8 TB of butter over low heat. Add the flour to the butter, whisking constantly, to make a roux and to rid the mixture of any flour taste, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the warm mil and the sage leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Raise the heat to moderate and bring the sauce to a low boil, continuing to whisk, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until the sauce becomes thick but still pourable, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Discard the sage leaves. Season with nutmeg and stir to combine.
8. To prepare the lasagna, halve the butternut squash, apples and kale mixture. Separate the combined grated cheese into three parts.
9. Add a full ladle of béchamel sauce evenly to the bottom of the buttered baking dish. Next add three lasagna noodles across, trying not to overlap. Top the noodles with another full ladle of béchamel sauce, using more sauce if necessary, to spread it out evenly. Add one-third of the cheese mixture in an even layer. Then, layer evenly with one half of the butternut squash and apple slices and the kale mixture. Drizzle the vegetables with a half ladle of béchamel sauce. Add three more noodles and repeat the layering again in the exact same way. For the top layer, add the last three noodles. Top with a full ladle of béchamel sauce, using more if necessary over the noodles. Sprinkle the last of the cheese on top. Bake until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown in some spots, 30 to 35 minutes.
10. Let the lasagna stand at least 15 minutes, to properly set, before serving.
2. Mix the two cheeses together and refrigerate them until ready to use.
3. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. On one, arrange the squash slices in a single layer. On the other, arrange the apple slices. Drizzle each sheet with 1 TB of light, unrefined olive oil and massage onto the squash and apples. Season with salt and pepper. Place the apples on the top tier of the oven if possible, and roast until the squash and apples begin to soften and edges are lightly crisp, about 15 minutes, keeping a watchful eye that the apples do not burn. Remove from the oven and set aside. Reduce the oven temperate to 350 degrees.
4. Add the extra-virgin olive oil to a 12-inch skillet over low-medium heat. When hot and shimmery, add the onion and lightly sprinkle with salt. Sauté, stirring often, until the onion is tender and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add the kale and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Note that the kale should be done to your liking, as it will not soften much further in the oven and will only cook for a few minutes longer with the addition of the wine. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the wine and cook until it has completely reduced, 3to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the kale mixture to a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, gently toss and set aside.
5. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. (If you are using no-boil noodles you can skip this step.)
6. Generously salt the water and add the lasagna. Cook until a few minutes shy of al dente, tender yet firm to the bite, according the the package directions. Drain and set aside in a single layer on parchment paper to cool.
7. In a small saucepan, heat the milk, taking care not to scorch. In another medium saucepan, melt 8 TB of butter over low heat. Add the flour to the butter, whisking constantly, to make a roux and to rid the mixture of any flour taste, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the warm mil and the sage leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Raise the heat to moderate and bring the sauce to a low boil, continuing to whisk, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until the sauce becomes thick but still pourable, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Discard the sage leaves. Season with nutmeg and stir to combine.
8. To prepare the lasagna, halve the butternut squash, apples and kale mixture. Separate the combined grated cheese into three parts.
9. Add a full ladle of béchamel sauce evenly to the bottom of the buttered baking dish. Next add three lasagna noodles across, trying not to overlap. Top the noodles with another full ladle of béchamel sauce, using more sauce if necessary, to spread it out evenly. Add one-third of the cheese mixture in an even layer. Then, layer evenly with one half of the butternut squash and apple slices and the kale mixture. Drizzle the vegetables with a half ladle of béchamel sauce. Add three more noodles and repeat the layering again in the exact same way. For the top layer, add the last three noodles. Top with a full ladle of béchamel sauce, using more if necessary over the noodles. Sprinkle the last of the cheese on top. Bake until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown in some spots, 30 to 35 minutes.
10. Let the lasagna stand at least 15 minutes, to properly set, before serving.