ONLINE EXTRA — LESSONS IN LASAGNA: Butternut Squash Lasagna . . . Spinach and Sausage Lasagna Rolls . . . Vegetable Lasagna, etc.

Butternut Squash Lasagna

½ cup (1 stick) butter (divided)

1 large onion, chopped

3 pounds butternut squash, peeled, cleaned and chopped in 1-inch cubes (see note)

5 cloves garlic, minced (divided)

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

5 tablespoons flour

5 cups milk

1 bay leaf

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup shredded Parmesan

1 pound no-boil lasagna noodles

Prepare filling: Heat 3 tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add squash, 3 of the garlic cloves, salt and pepper and cook covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Add parsley and sage. Let fill-ing cool.

Prepare sauce: In large saucepan over medium-low heat, melt remaining 5 tablespoons butter and add remaining minced garlic, stirring 1 minute. Reduce heat to low and whisk in flour, adding more butter if mixture is too thick. Cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Return heat to medium-low and gradually whisk in milk. Add bay leaf. Bring sauce to a boil, con-tinuing to whisk. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Discard bay leaf.

To assemble: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of 13-by-9-inch pan. Toss cheeses together.

Spread ½ cup sauce in bottom of pan. Lay 3 lasagna sheets lengthwise and add part of a fourth sheet to fill in. Spread 2/3 cup sauce over noodles, then 1 cup filling, then 1/2 cup cheese mixture. Repeat layering pasta, sauce, filling and cheese until 4 noodles remain and filling is used up. Top with final layer of pasta and remaining sauce and cheese.

Cover lasagna tightly with well-greased foil. Bake in center of preheated oven 30 to 40 minutes, until noodles are soft. Remove foil and bake until cheese is golden, 5 to 10 minutes.

Note: Butternut squash is available in some supermarkets now.

Yield: Serves 8.

Spinach and Sausage Lasagna Rolls

10 lasagna noodles

½ pound mild or spicy Italian sausage

2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 medium onion, peeled, sliced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 medium zucchini, washed, diced

10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed

½ cup reduced-fat ricotta cheese

¾ cup shredded Italian-blend cheese

Salt and black pepper to taste

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Crushed red pepper flakes to taste

1½ cups favorite pasta sauce

4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain, rinse and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown the sausage over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Add the onion, red pepper and zucchini. Continue sauteing until zuc-chini is just tender and most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the spinach and heat through. Remove from the heat. In a separate bowl, mix the cheeses. Season with salt, pep-per, Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper flakes to taste. Stir the cheese mixture into the sausage mixture.

Place the cooked lasagna noodles flat on a clean work surface. Evenly divide the sausage mixture on one end of the noodles. Roll up the noodles. Place the lasagna rolls in a baking dish and pour the pasta sauce over. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese if using. Bake about 15 minutes to just heat through. Remove from the oven and place two rolls on each serving plate along with some sauce and serve.

Analysis per roll: 237 calories, 38 percent of calories from fat, 10 grams fat (4 grams satu-rated), 25 grams carbohydrates, 12 grams protein, 561 milligrams sodium, 21 milligrams cho-lesterol, 162 milligrams calcium, 2 grams fiber.

Vegetable Lasagna

12 uncooked lasagna noodles

2 teaspoons canola oil

Cooking spray

2½ cups chopped broccoli florets

2 cups thinly sliced carrots

1 cup sliced green onions

3 garlic cloves, minced

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups fat-free milk

½ cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided use

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry

1 cup 2 percent milk fat cottage cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese made with 2 percent milk

½ cup part-skim ricotta cheese

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium heat.

Add broccoli, carrots, onions and garlic and saute for about seven minutes, or until vege-tables are crisp-tender. Set aside.

Place flour in a medium heavy saucepan. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook 5 minutes or until thick, stirring con-stantly. Remove from heat.

Add ¼ cup of the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, stirring constantly until smooth. Stir in spinach. Reserve ½ cup of the spinach mixture for top layer of casserole and set aside.

Combine cottage cheese, mozzarella and ricotta cheese and stir well. Spread ½ cup spin-ach mixture in bottom of a 13-by-9 baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Arrange four lasagna noodles over spinach mixture in dish and top with half of cottage cheese mixture, half of broccoli mixture and half of remaining spinach mixture.

Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Spread reserved ½ cup spinach mixture over noodles and sprinkle with ¼ cup Parmesan cheese. Cover and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: Serves 12.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 214 calories, 14 grams protein, 29 grams car-bohydrates, 2.4 grams fiber, 4.4 grams fat, 369 milligrams sodium, 12 milligrams cholesterol.

Pesto Lasagna Rolls

12 lasagna noodles

1 26-ounce jar pasta sauce or 3 cups homemade

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry

1 3½ jar prepared pesto

1 egg

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

½ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions; drain.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread 2 cups of the tomato sauce in bottom of a greased 13-by-9-inch pan. Combine garlic, ricotta, spinach, pesto, egg, Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste in a bowl. Place a lasagna noodle on a clean kitchen towel; spread ¼ cup of the ricotta mixture on the noodle. Roll noodle up; place seam side down in pan. Repeat with remaining noodles. Pour remaining tomato sauce over noodles; sprinkle with mozzarella. Cover with foil; bake 20 minutes. Uncover; cook until cheese is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

Yield: Serves 6,

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 519 calories, 37 percent of calories from fat, 22 grams fat (9 grams saturated), 75 milligrams cholesterol, 54 grams carbohydrates, 28 grams protein, 1,241 milligrams sodium, 3.8 grams fiber.

Lighter Lasagna Rolls

1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, or 10 ounces 96 percent lean ground beef

1 large egg white

½ teaspoon basil

½ teaspoon oregano

¼ teaspoon garlic herb seasoning

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese made with 2 percent milk

¼ cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese

6 lasagna noodles, cooked al dente according to package directions and drained.

1 15-ounce can pasta-ready tomatoes seasoned with basil, garlic and oregano

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For spinach rolls, squeeze out all moisture from thawed spinach. For beef rolls, brown the ground beef in a nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat.

In a bowl, mix together ricotta, egg white, basil, oregano, garlic herb seasoning, nutmeg, salt, pepper, half the mozzarella and half the Parmesan cheese until creamy. Add the browned beef or the spinach and blend ingredients well.

Lay each cooked lasagna noodle on waxed paper. Dividing equally, spread filling (beef or spinach) down length of each noodle. Roll up each noodle, jelly-roll style.

Spread one-third of tomatoes over bottom of shallow rectangular baking dish. Place each lasagna roll, seam side down, in dish. Spoon remaining tomatoes over rolls. Tent dish with aluminum foil.

Bake 35 minutes or until heated through. Remove foil. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese over rolls. Bake uncovered 5 minutes more or until cheese has melted.

Yield: Serves 6.

Approximate nutritional analysis per spinach roll: 188 calories, 4.2 grams fat.

Approximate nutritional analysis per beef roll: 227 calories, 5.6 grams fat.

Lasagna

SAUCE:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

½ sweet onion, chopped

2 pounds ground chuck

½ teaspoon each: salt, garlic powder

Freshly ground pepper

1 29-ounce can tomato puree

2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes

1 tablespoon dried basil

10 sprigs fresh basil or to taste

1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons grated Romano cheese

RICOTTA FILLING:

1 32-ounce container whole-milk ricotta, drained in colander 1 hour

2 eggs, slightly beaten

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

¼ cup each: coarsely chopped parsley, grated Parmesan cheese

Zest of 1 lemon or to taste

Juice of ½ lemon or to taste

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Freshly ground pepper

NOODLES AND ASSEMBLY:

½ teaspoon salt

Fresh lasagna noodles, see recipe, or 1 package (16 ounces) dried noodles

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup shredded mozzarella

For the sauce, heat the oil and butter in a Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat; add onion. Cook until onion is fragrant, about 1 minute.

Stir in the beef, breaking it up with a spoon over medium-low heat, until browned, about 10 minutes. Add the salt, garlic powder and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree and the crushed tomatoes. Stir in the dried basil. Increase heat to medium-high; heat to a boil. Stir in the basil sprigs and sugar. Stir in the Romano cheese. Lower heat to a simmer; cook 1 hour.

Meanwhile, for the ricotta filling, break up the ricotta into small pieces in a large bowl; mix in the beaten eggs, mozzarella, parsley, Parmesan, lemon zest, juice, salt, sugar, cinna-mon and pepper to taste, stirring until smooth (do not overmix). Taste; add additional salt, sugar and/or lemon, if desired.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. For the noodles, heat a roasting pan or large pan of water to a boil; add salt. Cook noodles until al dente, 3 to 4 minutes, in batches if necessary (dried will take about 10 minutes). Remove noodles with tongs to a baking pan, keeping them flat; add a bit of the cooking water to keep pasta supple.

Pour ¼ of the sauce on the bottom of a 13-by-9-inch buttered baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan; cover completely with one-third of the noodles (overlapping is fine). Add another one-fourth of the sauce; add half of the ricotta mixture. Add 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan; top with 2 tablespoons of the mozzarella. Cover with one-third of the noo-dles. Add another one-fourth of the sauce; top with remaining ricotta mixture, remaining 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan and remaining 2 tablespoons of the mozzarella. Cover with re-maining third of the noodles. Cover with remaining sauce. (You may have leftover noodles.)

Cover pan with foil; bake 30 minutes; uncover. Bake until top is bubbly, about 15 minutes. Set aside to rest 20 minutes before cutting.

Yield: Serves 12.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 602 calories, 48 percent of calories from fat, 32 grams fat (16 grams saturated), 219 milligrams cholesterol, 41 grams carbohydrates, 38 grams protein, 1,357 milligrams sodium, 5 grams fiber.

Lasagna Noodles

1½ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup semolina flour

1 teaspoon salt

3 extra-large (not jumbo) eggs plus 1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon each: olive oil, water

Sift flours into a food processor; sprinkle the salt over the flour. Set aside. Whisk the 3 whole eggs in a small bowl; whisk in the oil and water. With the machine running, pour in the egg-oil mixture slowly; add egg yolk as mixture begins to form into a ball. Process until dough is a buttery color and forms a smooth ball, about 30 seconds. (Do not overmix.) Re-move dough from food processor; knead dough about 1 minute. Form into a ball. Wrap with plastic wrap; let rest 10 to 30 minutes.

Place dough on a lightly floured surface; divide into 4 equal pieces. (Keep unused dough wrapped in plastic while you work.) Lightly flour one of the dough pieces and form into a disc; feed it through a pasta machine roller set at the thickest setting (No. 1); repeat. Fold the dough strip into thirds or quarters to create a square; feed dough through pasta machine six times, flouring as needed and decreasing thickness by one setting each time, ending at No. 5 or No. 6, depending on the thickness desired.

Cut dough into 13-inch-long strips while soft; dry strips on a rack or on a board at least 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough. Use immediately. Or dry completely, at least 24 hours; store in a large re-sealable food storage bag for up to 3 days.

Yield: Enough for 12 servings

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 130 calories, 23 percent of calories from fat, 3 grams fat (1 grams saturated), 78 milligrams cholesterol, 20 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams protein, 215 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.

Lasagna

RAGU (TOMATO SAUCE):

6 small meatballs (see cook’s notes)

8 cups canned red plum tomatoes with juice

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 yellow or brown onion, chopped

2 sweet Italian sausages

1 tablespoon tomato paste

Sea salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

Dried oregano or chopped fresh, to taste

Dried basil or chopped fresh, to taste

Ground-meat mixture; see cook’s notes:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 yellow or brown onion, finely chopped

1 to 2 stalks celery, finely chopped

1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped

¾ pound coarsely ground beef top round; see cook’s notes

¼ pound coarsely ground lean pork butt

2 cups tomato sauce (from Steps 1 and 2)

1 bay leaf

PASTA:

Enough fresh lasagna noodles to make 5 layers, about 1 pound

CHEESE FILLING:

2 cups ricotta cheese

¾ cup chopped fresh mozzarella, plus ½ cup, divided use

Ground white pepper to taste

¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

2 egg yolks

Optional garnish: ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook’s notes: Make meatballs with a mixture of ground pork, lean ground beef, salt, pep-per, paprika, dried oregano, dried basil, finely chopped fresh parsley, dried bread crumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, grated Pecorino Romano cheese and a little olive oil.

You can omit the ground-meat mixture and cook more meatballs and sausage in ragu sauce and use that instead.

1. Prepare tomato sauce: Prepare meatball mixture (see cook’s notes) and form into 1-inch meatballs. You’ll need about 6 meatballs for this recipe; leftover meatballs can be frozen for later use. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place 6 meatballs on rimmed baking sheet and bake in middle of heated oven 12 minutes. Set aside.

2. Process tomatoes and juice in food processor fitted with metal blade until very finely chopped but not completely pureed (it is easier to do this in 2 batches). In large, deep pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil on medium-high. Add onion and sausages. Cook until onion sof-tens, stirring occasionally. Add ground tomatoes, tomato paste and seasonings. Bring to boil; immediately reduce heat to simmer 35 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Set aside.

3. Prepare meat mixture: In large, deep pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil on medium-high heat. Add onion, celery and carrot. Toss to coat vegetable with oil. Add ground beef and pork. Stir to combine and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Add 2 cups tomato sauce (use sauce only, don’t include any sausage or meatballs) and bay leaf. Bring to boil; immediately reduce heat to low and simmer until very thick, about 35 minutes. It should have a firm texture when cool. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Remove bay leaf and set aside.

4. Meanwhile, remove sausage and meatballs from tomato sauce; cut into thin diagonal slices. Set aside.

5. To cook pasta, bring large pot of water to boil. Set bowl of water and ice next to stove. Drop a few sheets of pasta into boiling water. Boil until just barely al dente, about 1 minute. Remove and drop into ice- and water-filled bowl to stop cooking. Drain. Repeat with remain-ing pasta.

6. Prepare cheese filling: In large bowl stir ricotta, ¾ cup mozzarella and white pepper. Stir in Parmesan and Pecorino Romano. Add egg yolks and stir until combined.

7. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pour about ½ cup tomato sauce in 9-inch-square baking pan. Use spatula to spread sauce into even layer. Spread about 3/8-inch meat mixture on enough noodles to make single layer in pan; add to pan, meat side up. Spoon on layer of tomato sauce. Spread ½ inch of cheese mixture on enough noodles to make single layer in pan; add to pan, cheese side up. Spoon on layer of tomato sauce, plus half of chopped meat-balls and sausage. Add ¼ cup chopped mozzarella. Spread 3/8-inch meat mixture on enough noodles to make single layer in pan; add to pan meat side up. Spoon on 3/8-inch layer of to-mato sauce. Add remaining meatballs and sausage. Spread ½ inch of cheese mixture on enough noodles to make single layer in pan. Add to pan, cheese side down. Spoon in 3/8 inch of sauce and remaining mozzarella. Cover with pasta and additional layer of sauce.

8. Bake in preheated oven about 1¼ hours. If desired, sprinkle with ½ cup Parmesan cheese 20 minutes before the end of baking. Let rest 20 minutes before cutting and serving. Cut into 4-6 squares or rectangles and serve.

Yield: Serves 6.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 400 calories, 67 percent of calories from fat, 30 grams fat, 12.2 grams protein, 20.3 grams carbohydrates, 0.1 grams fiber, 250 milligrams cholesterol, 1.073 milligrams sodium, 450 milligrams calcium.

Company Lasagna

WHITE SAUCE::

¼ cup each: unsalted butter, flour

1¾ cups milk

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Salt, freshly ground pepper

LASAGNA:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 each, chopped: onion, peeled carrot

1 cup dry red wine

½ pound each: ground beef, pork and veal

¼ pound prosciutto, diced, optional

¼ cup tomato paste

8 ounces lasagna noodles

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup each: shredded fontina, grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons dried Italian herbs

1 15-ounce can tomato sauce

For sauce, heat butter in medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly. Heat to boil, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened. Add nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat; set aside.

For lasagna, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Add carrot; cook 1 minute. Add wine; cook until reduced by half. Stir in beef, pork, veal and prosciutto; cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste until combined. Add white sauce to meat mixture; stir to com-bine. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain; rinse. Set aside. Combine cheeses with Italian herbs in medium bowl.

Cover bottom of 13-by-9 inch baking pan with 1/3 of the meat sauce. Top with 1/3 of the noo-dles and 1/3 of the cheese mixture. Repeat the layers of meat sauce, noodles and cheese. Layer remaining meat sauce and noodles. Cover with tomato sauce. Sprinkle on remaining cheese.

To freeze, cover tightly with plastic wrap, then with two layers of heavy-duty foil. Freeze up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in refrigerator. Bake in 350-degree oven until lasagna is bubbly, 50 to 60 minutes. Or take lasagna directly from freezer; bake 2½ hours at 350 degrees. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Yield: Serves 8.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 580 calories, 5 percent of calories from fat, 33 grams fat (17 grams saturated fat), 110 milligrams cholesterol, 990 milligrams sodium, 35 grams carbohydrates, 37 grams protein, 3 grams fiber.

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