Last week, in this post, I mentioned this recipe.
I have not stopped thinking about it since. The colors, textures and promise of indulgences like cheese and pasta nudged even my most jaded holiday sensibilities over the line into straight up festive.
When the hubs was making a weekend trip to the store for potatoes and onions (or maybe whiskey), I handed him a list that included beautiful things like ricotta cheese, butternut squash and whole wheat noodles (and also whiskey). My plan was to save the joyous cooking for post-baby-bedtime/cocktail hour.
Despite my ignorance of the time and mess involved when caramelizing three onions and attempting one’s first Mornay sauce (yeah, this thing came out of the oven at 4:15am), the dish was an overall success. I highly recommend it as a holiday treat.
Of course, I had to get Haphazard with it. Here are the changes I’ll be making next time, or implemented this time:
- I used 1% milk, which I was totally okay with.
- I used 12 cooked whole wheat lasagna noodles. I don’t know what they try to specify in the original recipe.
- I used whole wheat flour, because why would I have bleached food?
- I used 2, 10 oz packages of spinach (1 chopped and 1 leaf) because that’s what hubs brought home. More veggies always = good.
- Next time, 2-3 butternut squash. My dish has no visible pretty orange layer. Sadness (this thing was supposed to be the colors of the Motherland’s flag!).
- Also in the squash layer – artichoke hearts.
- Next time, replace half of the ricotta with (rinsed and drained) cottage cheese. Also, replace half the Parmesan with Romano in both the Mornay sauce and ricotta layer.
- Rosemary… if you like it, do it up. My taste is instead for an Italian seasoning blend, maybe with some extra basil and oregano. Also garlic, obviously. Why would you make anything without it? I’d use these flavors all over the place – cheese, squash and Mornay.
- I want to add mushrooms and tomatoes to the ricotta layer for taste, texture and nutrition.
- There’s just really no need for that much Mornay. The thing is practically oozing over the edges. Maybe just a little less next time.
Oh yes, my darlings. There will be a next time. This thing is killer.
Happy Holidays! Let the madness begin…
