Parmesan and Root Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients

• 6 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 2 1/2 pounds)
• 2 1/4 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato (about 1 pound)
• 2 cups coarsely chopped onion, divided
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Cooking spray
• 4 cups 1% low-fat milk
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/3 cup)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 9 packaged no-boil lasagna noodles
• 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. 2. Combine squash, potato, 1 cup chopped onion, and oil in a roasting pan coated with cooking spray, tossing to coat vegetables. Bake at 450° for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring once; set aside.
3. 3. Combine remaining 1 cup onion, milk, nutmeg, cinnamon, and bay leaf in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a simmer. Remove from heat; let stand 15 minutes. Strain milk mixture through a fine sieve over a bowl; discard solids. Return milk mixture to pan. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Add flour, salt, and pepper to milk mixture, stirring with a whisk. Cook over medium heat 10 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently with a whisk. Remove from heat; stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
4. 4. Preheat oven to 375°.
5. 5. Spread 1/2 cup milk mixture in bottom of a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 noodles over milk mixture; top with half of squash mixture, 1/2 cup mozzarella, and 1 cup milk mixture. Repeat layer with noodles, squash mixture, mozzarella, and milk mixture. Top with remaining 3 noodles. Spread remaining milk mixture over noodles, and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.
6. Wine note: Root vegetables are best with earthy wine varietals like tempranillo, pinot noir, and sangiovese. Try this with a Spanish Rioja, which is made from tempranillo. Try Conde de Valdemar Rioja Crianza 2004 (about $15). "Crianza" is the Rioja term used for simple weeknight wines. —Karen MacNeil