Butternut Squash Lasagna

Dig in to this delicious Butternut Squash Lasagna

I love cooking with the seasons. And fall is all about comfort food for me. I love the colors, taste and feel of the root vegetables that are so prevalent. We received a butternut squash from our CSA last week and I was determined to do something fun with it. 

I have had lasagna noodles in my pantry for ages that I hadn't used, so I decided to do a butternut squash lasagna. I looked up a few different recipes, but none of them seemed just right to me. Also, I had no ricotta in the house and I didn't want to go to the store. So, I chose 3 of my favorite recipes and combined them, and played with them, and voila, created a new favorite Butternut Squash Lasagna recipe. It was a huge hit! 

Side note, as my husband was eating leftovers of the lasagna for lunch, he said to me, "I could eat this everyday. Forever." Pretty high praise!

• 1 Butternut Squash
• 1 Box lasagna noodles
• 1 cup marinara sauce (homemade or jarred)
• 1/4 c. roasted red pepper, pureed (homemade or jarred)
• 1 handful of basil leaves, chopped
• 6 sausage links
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 6 Tbsp Butter
• 1/4 c Flour
• 6 cups milk
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

 

Step 1: Make Butternut Squash Puree

Cut Butternut Squash in half.

Brush with olive oil.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake face down at 400 degrees for 1 hour. 

When done, let cool enough to be able to handle.

Scoop insides out, place in bowl and mash.

Set aside.

Step 2: Cook Lasagna Noodles

Boil one box of lasagna noodles according to directions.

I really find spreading out the cooked noodles on a baking sheet or parchment paper drizzled with olive oil makes a huge difference in the finished product.

Step 3: Make Roasted Red Pepper Marinara Sauce

Blend marinara sauce with roasted red peppers.

Mix in chopped basil.

Set aside.

Step 4: Make Filling

In a hot pan over medium-high heat, sautee garlic and onion in olive oil. 

Remove sausage from casings and add to pan. 

Once cooked, remove to a bowl and mix with butternut squash. 

Set aside.

Step 5: Make Bechamel Sauce

Melt flour in a sauce pan over medium heat. 

Whisk flour into melted butter. Continue cooking over low heat, while whisking. You do not want to let the flour brown.

Slowly whisk in milk, raise heat to medium. 

Continue to cook over medium heat, whisking continuously until thickened (about 10 minutes). Add salt and pepper to taste, reduce heat to low and continue cooking another 5-10 minutes. When complete, set aside.

Ready to Assemble (from left): Butternut Squash Sausage filling, cheeses, red sauce, bechamel, lasagna noodles.

Step 6: Put the Lasagna Together

In a 9x13 dish, place a thin layer of Bechamel Sauce.

Add about 5 lasagna noodles on top of sauce, slightly overlapping.

Top with 1/2 of the Butternut Squash Sausage filling.

Top with 1/4 c each cheese

Top with a thin layer of Bechamel Sauce

Add another layer of noodles, Butternut Squash Sausage filling, cheese, Bechamel Sauce.

Top with an additional layer of noodles, Bechamel Sauce, Roasted Red Pepper Marinara Sauce and remaining cheese. 

In the midst of layering: Bechamel, noodles, Butternut Squash Sausage filling

Bake

Cover with foil. Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes. Uncover for the last 5-10 minutes. Let sit for about 10 minutes before cutting. Serve hot.

It was a multi-stop process, as lasagna tends to be, but so worth it! You can easily prep this in stages and can make up to a day ahead to have it ready to pop in the oven for when you need a delicious, hearty meal. You can also bake it ahead and store in smaller serving containers to be available for dinners on the go. 

knead, [NEED] A technique used to mix and work a dough in order to form it into a cohesive, pliable mass. During kneading, the network of gluten strands stretches and expands, thereby enabling a dough to hold in the gas bubbles formed by a leavener (which allows it to rise). Kneading is accomplished either manually or by machine - usually a large mixer equipped with a dough hook (some machines have two dough hooks) or a food processor with a plastic blade. By hand, kneading is done with a pressing-folding-turning action performed by pressing down into the dough with the heels of both hands, then pushing away from the body. The dough is folded in half and given a quarter turn, and the process is repeated. Depending on the dough, the manual kneading time can range anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes (or more). Well-kneaded dough is smooth and elastic.

I recently read the novel The Baker’s Apprentice. Until then, I’d never really had the desire to bake bread. In fact, friends who know me well, know that this is way too much work for me. I need to get dinner on the table, but quick! Anyway, something about this book made me want to bake my own bread, to knead bread. I tried a few recipes, with mixed results.

Finally, I focused on breads that resembled the rosemary rolls at Annarosa Bakery, the treat that Grace and I love to pick up for 50¢ apiece. These rosemary rolls are so good. Once, in fact, when I had picked them up for a party my sisters and aunt and I were throwing for my mother’s 70th birthday, I had to pull over to the side of the road and move the bag of rolls to the back of the car, because I just kept reaching in and eating roll after roll after roll (which explains my roll after roll after roll).

The recipe that resulted is a rustic, hand-shaped loaf that has kalamata olives, rosemary, olive oil, and kosher salt. When warm out of the oven, it needs no butter, or anything else. It is dangerously simple to eat the entire loaf on one’s own, so I divided it into two loaves. That way, you can eat one, and still have one for dinner, or gifting, or whatever your original purpose for baking the bread was.

Rustic black olive and rosemary bread
adapted from Mediterranean black olive bread from allrecipes.com

3 c bread flour
1 T active dry yeast
2 T sugar
1 T kosher salt (additional may be added in when kneading)
½ c kalamata olives, chopped
1 T fresh rosemary, chopped (additional may be added in when kneading)
3 T olive oil
1¼ c warm water (about 110°)
1 T cornmeal

In a large bowl, mix together flour, yeast, sugar, salt, olives, rosemary, olives, oil, and water.

Turn out dough onto a floured board. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 or 10 minutes (with an additional teaspoon or so of chopped rosemary and kosher salt, if desired). Set dough aside in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let rise for about 45 minutes, until doubled in size.

Punch down and knead well again for about 5 or 10 minutes (with an additional teaspoon or so of chopped rosemary and kosher salt, if desired). Place in an oiled bowl, covered with a damp towel, and allow to ruse for another 30 minutes, until doubled in size.

Line a baking sheet with parchment dusted with cornmeal and kosher salt. Divide dough into two loaves. Rub each with a little olive oil, and sprinkle with a little more chopped rosemary and salt, if desired. Let rise about 25 minutes, until doubled in size. Meanwhile, place a pan of water on the bottom shelf of the oven, and preheat to 500°. Once loaves have doubled in size, bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375° and bake for 20 minutes longer.

Try not to eat both loaves in one sitting.

I love a meal that makes itself while you tend to your life ... Enter Chicken Thighs with Balsamic Vinegar and Mushrooms. This slow-simmering meal leaves you with time on your hands, your kitchen smelling great, and lots of yummy sauce to sop up with delicious crusty bread.

Chicken thighs with balsamic vinegar and mushrooms

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs
salt and pepper to taste
6 oz dried mushrooms OR ¾ lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
6 cloves garlic
¼ c balsamic vinegar
¼ c beef broth
¾ c chicken broth
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
¼ t dried thyme

Boil water and reconstitute dried mushrooms in 1 cup hot water for 10 minutes. Drain mushrooms; strain and reserve liquid. Salt and pepper the chicken. Add chicken, mushrooms, garlic, vinegar, broth, tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, and reserved liquid to crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours (high for 4-6 hours). Serve with mashed potatoes or egg noodles or crusty bread to sop up all that yummy flavor.

Today is unseasonably cold in New England, sunny but cold. I’m taking advantage of it to clean out the freezer and the pantry and make a tasty treat for my family to each when we come in, freezing, from baseball somewhere between 5:30 and 7 pm.

This is an easy, yummy, spicy black bean soup. It can be made in the crockpot, and tailored to your family’s specific &ldqou;spicy quotient” (add less salsa or less spicy salsa—smoky or smoked garlic salsa works very well with black beans, just omit the extra garlic), thickness preference (add more broth or stock, or fewer beans), and other likes and dislikes (omit garlic and red pepper, add onions or diced tomatoes, use vegetable broth rather than chicken for a vegetarian soup).

I had 4 cups of chicken stock in the freezer, so I used that, but canned (or boxed) stock is fine too.
Black bean soup

2 t olive oil
1 t minced garlic
1 red peppers, diced small
6 15-oz cans black beans
½ 14-oz jar Mrs. Renfro’s Green Salsa, more for spicier soup, less for milder soup (Mrs. Renfro’s also has a very good Smoky Garlic Salsa that is excellent with black beans, if you use this one, omit the extra garlic and the oil above, the oil is only for cooking the strong taste out of the garlic)
4 c chicken stock

Heat olive oil in stockpot or crockpot. Add garlic and peppers, cook until garlic is translucent and peppers start to soften. Process 3 cans of beans in the blender with salsa (in batches). Add stock, bean mixture, and whole beans (rinsed) to the garlic and peppers.

Simmer for at least 30 minutes, until soup is warm and flavors have blended. Flavor will benefit from additional simmering, so feel free to let it simmer longer, just keep it over a low flame and stir occasionally so beans don’t stick to bottom of pan and burn. If you like, garnish with additional diced red peppers or thinly sliced scallions.

The Dunican sisters were anti-grocery shopping today. I’m not sure what Regina ended up finding in her pantry and freezer to turn into dinner, but I had quite a coup, inspired by National Seafood Bisque Day, I combined the recipe the punchbowl.com page recommended with some inspiration from Ina Garten’s Shrimp Bisque (because I had all the ingredients on hand).

This recipe is truly a last-minute preparation. I made the whole thing from frozen shrimp to eating the piping hot bowl with a piece of crusty bread in 30 minutes. If you use frozen shrimp, skip the sautéing step, but the olive oil does add some depth of flavor to your bisque. If you don’t have white wine, you can substitute seafood stock or even water, but add a splash (less than ¼ cup of brandy, vermouth, or dry sherry at the end). Remember to take the center out of the blender when blending hot liquids; hot liquids tend to cause the blender to “explode” and are quite dangerous, so place a folded dish towel over the hole in the blender top to let the steam escape, and keep your hand on it so the top and towel stay in place.

Truly last-minute “National Seafood Bisque Day” shrimp bisque

1 T olive oil
1 lb shrimp, in shells, frozen is fine
1 bottle white wine
1 qt light cream
¼ t thyme leaves
1 pinch black pepper
1 pinch kosher salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper

If shrimp is thawed, sauté shrimp, shells and all, in olive oil; add thyme, pepper, and salt. Simmer shrimp in wine just until cooked (pink), overcooking shrimp will cause it to be tough. Pull shrimp from wine and chill in refrigerator until cool enough to handle. In the meantime, add cream to wine and continue simmering over low heat.

Once shrimp is cool enough, peel shrimp and place in blender; reserve 12 shrimp, peeled, with tails intact. Add liquid so blender is half full. With center of blender top out of hole, place folded dish cloth over hole. Keeping your hand on dish cloth, pulse blender until shrimp is chopped fine. Return to pot to warm over low heat. Stir in cayenne pepper. Serve immediately with two whole shrimp as garnish.

I made the most unbelievably easy comfort food for dinner tonight. It was another one of those crazy, busy days when it was unlikely that we’d sit down for a family dinner, so I pulled out the pressure cooker. What a savior for a busy family! With the crisp, Fall weather, butternut squash was a natural, and nothing is more “comfort” than creamy, cheesy risotto.


The trouble with most 30-minute-or-less recipes, and what most people don’t know, is the ingredient lists. If the recipe says that it takes 30 minutes to complete it, but lists 2 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed, that means that the squash has to be prepped before you begin the work, the peeling, seeding, and cubing time is not included in the time estimate. So, at 3:08 pm I pulled out the pressure cooker and the ingredients and got started. (I’m a big fan of the chop-and-throw method, that way you don’t have to worry about pre-prepped ingredients, you just chop (or dice or cube) and throw them in the pot as you go.) I poured the olive oil in the pressure cooker, diced and added the pancetta, onion, rice, butternut squash, chicken stock, and white wine (thank God for my neighbor, Ellen basically sharing her pantry with me; I was out of white wine; the payoff is that I sent her some risotto when my son went to babysit for her son), placed the cover on the pressure cooker and brought it to full pressure. I cooked it for 20 minutes, turned it off, and was in the car on my way to my son’s football game by 3:38. Thirty minutes exactly.

Now, the pot just needed to let the pressure come down while I was gone. When I returned from the game I mixed in the butter, parmiggiano-reggiano, and sage (from Ellen’s beautiful pot of herbs), and dinner was ready. If I had been really prepared, I would have had my other son make a salad while I was at the football game, then I wouldn’t have even had to do that before I sat down to eat.

But wait, there’s more, this can be one of those everready go-to recipes for you too. When I buy pancetta, I only need ¼ of the piece, so I cut the rest into individual pieces and store it in the freezer for future batches. I also keep frozen butternut squash on hand so I’m always ready.

And, even my anti-vegetable son had seconds ... it’s amazing how a little cheese and rice can change the character of a vegetable.

Butternut squash risotto with pancetta and sage

2 T olive oil
4 ozs pancetta
1 medium onion
2 c arborio rice
1 small butternut squash
6 c canned low-salt chicken broth
1 c dry white wine
2 T butter
½ c parmiggiano-reggiano cheese
6 fresh sage leaves

Place the pressure cooker on the stove over medium heat. Add olive oil. Coarsely chop and add pancetta, sauté until it’s a little crispy. Finely dice and add the onion until it’s a little soft. Add the rice and stir to coat. Chop the butternut squash into large pieces and add them (when the risotto is done, you will have some larger pieces of squash in there, if you like a smoother risotto, cut your squash into smaller pieces).

Add chicken stock and white wine, place the cover on the pressure cooker, and bring it to full pressure. Cook for 20 minutes, turn it off, and let the pressure come down. (If you’re in a hurry, you can run it under cool water to bring down the pressure more quickly.)

While the pressure comes down, grate your parmiggiano-reggiano and chop your sage leaves finely. Once pressure is down, mix in the butter, parmiggiano-reggiano, and sage. Serve immediately, with freshly ground pepper and more parmiggiano-reggiano for the top.

Snow Day Recipes

It's a snow day here in PA, and in many other places around the country. Anyone have some great, warm & cozy meals they make on these chilly days?

I have taken out chicken thighs and am not heading out to the store in the snow, so I'll have to see what I have to go with them. I'm looking for something I can put in the crockpot this morning and forget about.

I think I am going to do something like this, but with thighs and in the crockpot. It was from the BHG chicken dinners link that Kate posted awhile ago. I think I'll serve with some kind of pasta, maybe orzo, and a salad.

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (1-1/4 to 1-1/2 lb. total)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 medium onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 15-oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 5.75oz. jar sliced pitted green olives, drained

1 2.25-oz. can sliced pitted ripe olives, drained

2 Tbsp. capers, drained

2 Tbsp. finely shredded lemon peel

1 tsp. dried oregano, crushed

3 Tbsp. snipped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley

1. In large skillet brown chicken in hot oil over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, turning once. Remove chicken from skillet; set aside. Add onion to skillet. Cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender and lightly browned, stirring occasionally and adding garlic the last 1 minute of cooking.

2. Stir tomatoes, olives, capers, lemon peel, and oregano into onion mixture. Place chicken on tomato mixture. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 13 to 15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (170 degrees F).

3. To serve, place chicken on platter. Season tomato mixture to taste with salt and black pepper. Spoon tomato mixture over chicken. Sprinkle with parsley. Makes 4 servings.

OK, so I’m a day late for Super Bowl Sunday, which, according to my two younger sons should be “National Chili Day”. While I was growing up, my dad was one of those cooks who had certain meals. He made pancakes & sausage on Saturdays and eggs & bacon on Sundays (PopPop still makes eggs & bacon for our kids whenever we visit Sleepy Hollow or he visits Newburyport). And Chili. Chili was our Sunday football game staple, our New Year’s Day open house centerpiece, and still has a place on every buffet table my parents ever set. My dad’s one of those cooks who doesn’t really measure anything, just makes it the same, by eye and taste, every single time.

A friend of mine, who love my dad’s chili and also loved to cook herself, once made her chili for my dad. She wanted him to say it was as good as his. He’s a hard-nosed Irish man who likes things made one way and one way only. He said, “You put garlic in it. You don’t put garlic in chili.” (His reaction was similar when my sister Bridget introduced us to her Vegetarian Chili, which is spectacular, and I promise to share it with you soon.)

When my sister Maureen first moved to San Francisco, one of her roommates was from Wisconsin. When Fred and I visited, they served chili over spaghetti. It didn’t taste much spicier than meat sauce to me. My sister Regina likes to put cheese and sour cream on her chili; I save those for my tacos and nachos. As far as my dad is concerned, once you find something you like, don’t mess with it. And when it comes to this basic ground beef and beans chili, I tend to agree wholeheartedly.

PopPop’s chili

2 lb ground beef (Dad never used lean, I do)
4 cans Progresso dark red kidney beans, drained
2 T chili powder
2 lg onion, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 T Worcestershire sauce
Tabasco Sauce or Texas Pete’s Hot Sauce (a sentimental favorite because my dad’s name is Pete) to taste
2 lg cans whole tomatoes with juice
salt and pepper to taste

Brown beef, onions, and peppers in large stockpot. Drain fat from pot. Add chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, beans, tomatoes, hot sauce, and salt and pepper. Simmer for 2 hours. Taste and fix seasonings if needed. Serve over white rice with corn bread and a green salad (I suppose you could top with sour cream and cheese if you must).

Super Bowl

I just came across this dip and thought it might be a fun alternative to a standard dip for Super Bowl Sunday. What is everyone else making for the big game?

WARM BACON CHEESE SOURDOUGH DIP

1 lg round loaf of sourdough bread

1 pkg cream cheese

1 1/2 c sour cream

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2-3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

3/4 lb bacon - cooked and crumbled

Cut out a circle in top of the bread and gut the middle to make a bowl. Save inside pieces for dipping.

In a mixing bowl beat cream ch, sour cream, cheddar cheese and Worcestershire sauce. Then mix in bacon. Pour into bread bowl. Wrap in tin foil and bake in over at 325 degrees for one hour until heated through. Serve with extra bread or crackers.

Make-ahead Mashed Potatoes Recipe?

Regina, your Make-ahead Mashed Potatoes at Christmas were great. Can you please share the recipe?

Brandini Toffee

This Toffee recipe from Martha Stewart makes me think of Aunt Margo's toffee. It is pretty easy to make and really comes out great.

Ingredients
Makes about 2 pounds1/4 pound whole almonds3 cups (6 sticks) salted butter3 cups sugar1 pound Guittard French vanilla dark chocolate


DirectionsPreheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread almonds evenly on a baking sheet and transfer to oven. Roast until almonds are dark and fragrant, but not burned, about 15 minutes. Remove nuts from oven and let cool completely. Transfer cooled nuts to a large resealable plastic bag. Using a mallet or other heavy object, pound nuts until coarsely ground.
Melt butter in an 8-quart pot over medium-low heat; stir in sugar. Continue stirring until toffee reaches 305 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 30 minutes.
Pour toffee onto an 18-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet, spreading evenly to cover. Let cool until toffee is slightly hardened, but still tacky. Run a knife along the edges of the baking sheet to make toffee easier to remove.
Meanwhile, in a bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water, melt chocolate. Remove chocolate from heat and let cool slightly until it reaches about 95 degrees on a candy thermometer. Immediately pour melted chocolate over toffee, spreading evenly to cover. Sprinkle over coarsely ground almonds, pressing down with offset spatula. Transfer to refrigerator until toffee is set, about 1 hour.
To remove toffee from pan, run a sharp knife along the edges and lift toffee from the bottom. Using your hands, break toffee into large pieces; keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Cool-weather Soups

I always love to have soups during this time of year. It makes me feel warm and toasty, add salad and a bread, and I am in heaven!

Last night, I made a butternut squash soup. I roasted the squash with a little olive oil, s&p at 400 for about 45 minutes, until it was tender. Then, sauteed a little onion and garlic, added the squash pulp and some chicken stock, nutmeg and sage. Brought the soup to a boil and let it simmer. Then, pureed in the blender until smooth. Drizzled a little molasses on top before serving. It is good, but I would be more than welcome to trying other butternut squash soup recipes, as well as other soup recipes in general. 

I will come back shortly and post a few of our favorites.

Necessity is the mother of invention,
or discovery. My kids were clamoring for some cocoa, but we were out. It hadn’t really been cold enough, but today has become rainy and raw. So, I found this lovely alternative on the Family Fun web site. It’s easy, easy, easy, and my husband, who doesn’t love chocolate, really liked it.

Hot vanilla

1 cup of milk
2 teaspoons of sugar
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
whipped cream, optional
chocolate syrup, optional
cinnamon, optional

For each hot vanilla, microwave 1 cup of milk and 2 teaspoons of sugar in a mug for 90 seconds. Stir in ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract. Top with a dollop of whipped cream, a drizzle of chocolate syrup, and a dash of cinnamon, if using.

And, welcome to the neighborhood baby Kate Alexandra Mellet! We’re so happy you’re here.

I was thinking of my friend Karen today, and coincidentally, I made her husband’s favorite meal for our dinner: Baked macaroni & cheese.

Though it was warm yesterday, it’s Fall, and Fall gets you thinking of comfort food. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary:

comfort food n food prepared in a traditional style having a usually nostalgic or sentimental appeal

that reason, when you ask people about their favorite comfort food, you get all kinds of answers. Comfort isn’t one-size-fits-all.

Comfort food is real stick-to-your-ribs food; creamy, saucy, topped with gravy. However, it doesn’t always have to be heavy. In fact, there are numerous resources dedicated to revamping comfort food, making it less Your Mother’s Tuna Noodle Casserole, and giving you opportunities to put your own healthy stamp on it. Food Network is constantly running shows aimed at lightening up your favorites, and Cooking Light often features readers’ favorite recipes lightened.

For me, comfort food is synonymous with macaroni & cheese, and the boxed kind just won’t do the trick. Everyone’s got a favorite macaroni & cheese recipe, and usually your favorite is the one you grew up on. That’s just how it is with comfort foods, they bring you the comfort and security of home, in a dish.

This macaroni & cheese is basic. It is a perfect building block recipe for you to add your favorites. For extra sunshine-in-a-dish, try broccoli for some color, vitamins, and crunch. In the mood for Italian? Add diced tomatoes, Italian cheeses, basil, and oregano. Or try peas and bacon for a Carbonara flair. Mexican? Add Monterey Jack and chili peppers to suit your SQ (spicy quotient).

Baked macaroni & cheese
Serves 5

2 T flour
4 T butter, divided
½ t dry mustard
½ t garlic powder
¼ t white pepper
1/8 t nutmeg
2½ c milk
2 c cheese, shredded, divided (I use a mixture of cheeses, it makes for additional creaminess and better flavor)
8 oz medium shell macaroni, cooked 7 minutes, drained
¼ c bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease casserole dish (choose a pretty one that can go straight from the oven to the table, even if you have guests). Melt 2 T butter, stir in flour to make a white roux. Add dry mustard, garlic powder, pepper, and nutmeg. Add milk slowly, stirring the entire time, to make a white sauce. When thickened, stir in 1¾ c cheese until melted and blended. Add cooked macaroni. Stir together to coat macaroni. Melt remaining butter. Mix together with bread crumbs and remaining cheese. Pour macaroni mixture into prepared casserole. Top with bread crumb mixture. (Can be made ahead to this point and frozen or refrigerated at this point for baking another day. If you do this, bring the dish to room temperature before continuing.) Bake 50 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and top is golden.