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Recipe Detail Page
Pinwheel Lasagna with Chestnuts & Squash
Holiday 2023
Chestnuts, like cream, rice and butter are deliciously bland. Before you get the wrong idea, let me assure you this pasta-bake leans into that in the best way. It borrows the quiet, buttery flavours and old-fashioned comfort food vibes of bolognese lasagna, a very different thing than its tomato-y Southern Italian cousin. Many Italian companies make egg-based dried lasagna noodles—look for eggs in the ingredient list. They’re more delicate than lasagna noodles made only with semolina and water, and are the best kind for the job here.
Serves 6
2 lbs (905 g) butternut squash
4 tbsp (60 mL) butter, divided
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped (save other 1/2 for béchamel)
4 slices thinly sliced roll-style pancetta, finely chopped
8 oz (225 g) peeled roasted chestnuts, chopped
1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped sage
1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (250 mL) ricotta
1 egg
3/4 cup (175 mL) finely grated Parmesan, divided
10 sheets lasagna noodles made with egg
CHESTNUT BÉCHAMEL
5 tbsp (75 mL) butter
1/4 cup (60 mL) flour
3 cups (750 mL) whole milk
2 oz (55 g) peeled roasted chestnuts, roughly chopped
1/2 medium onion, peeled and trimmed, root end intact
1 bay leaf
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
Freshly grated nutmeg
1. Trim and peel squash. Scoop out seeds and fibrous membrane. Cut squash into 1/2-inch (1-cm) dice. You should have about 5 cups (1.25 L). Set aside.
2. Melt 2 tbsp (30 mL) butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring from time to time, until translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in pancetta and cook 2 minutes longer. Add chestnuts, sage, thyme and reserved squash. Season generously with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Reduce to low, cover and cook 20 to 25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so, or until squash begins to break apart and is tender but not mushy. Remove lid and let cool to room temperature.
3. Crumble ricotta overtop, add egg and 1/2 cup (125 mL) Parmesan. Stir until just combined with visible chunks of squash, ricotta and chestnut remaining. Set aside. (Filling may be made up to 2 days in advance and kept covered and refrigerated until ready to assemble.)
4. To make the Chestnut Béchamel, melt butter over medium heat in a medium pot. Add flour and stir until smooth, then whisk in milk a little at a time until incorporated. Continuing to whisk constantly, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer.
5. Add chestnuts, onion, bay leaf and salt. Cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring from time to time to prevent sticking. Remove onion (it’s okay if a few stray pieces remain) and bay leaf. Using an immersion blender, process until chestnuts are finely chopped. Season with a pinch of nutmeg at a time until seasoned to your liking. Cover and set aside.
6. Working with five lasagna sheets at a time, cook until al dente (refer to package instructions). Drain. When cool enough to handle lay out flat in a single layer on a clean kitchen towel.
7. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
8. To assemble, spread half the béchamel over bottom of a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33-cm) baking dish. Working with one lasagna sheet at a time, cut pasta lengthwise into 3 equal-sized strips. Leaving 1 inch (2.5 cm) uncovered at one of the ends, divide 2 heaping tablespoons (30+ mL) filling along the length of each strip. Beginning at the end opposite the uncovered one, roll into a spiral. Working from the bottom edge of the dish upward, arrange spirals, exposed stuffing end up, in pan. Repeat with remaining pasta sheets and filling.
9. Spoon remaining béchamel over pasta spirals, sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup (60 mL) Parmesan and dot with remaining 2 tbsp (30 mL) butter. Cover tightly with foil and bake 45 minutes.
10. Increase heat to 450°F (232°C), remove foil, and cook 20 to 25 minutes longer or until golden and bubbling. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.
Serves 6
