I just love fall. Even though it’s still in the 80s most days here, the cooler evenings make me want to cook yummy meals, whereas in the summer I tend to avoid the oven like the plague. Last year, I tried a recipe from Cooking Light for butternut squash lasagna and fell in love. I was so sad when our refrigerator broke a few weeks later and we lost the frozen leftovers, but I made it again over the weekend and am hoping that doesn’t happen again.

I don’t have a good photo of the finished dish, but I do have this one of Liam enjoying his helping. He loves it! And it is packed with vitamins, so I know he’s enjoying a healthy meal.

ADVERTISEMENT

Butternut Squash Lasagna, adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

  • cooking spray
  • 2 cups chopped onion (original recipe calls for 3, but 2 was a good amount for us)
  • 2 bags fresh spinach (original recipe calls for 10 cups, which is a bit excessive, in my opinion)
  • 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded provolone cheese (I didn’t have shredded, so I chopped up some sliced provolone)
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2  large eggs
  • 1   (15-ounce) carton ricotta cheese (recipe calls for part-skim, but I used whole milk ricotta)
  • 1   (15-ounce) carton fat-free ricotta cheese
  • 3 cups diced peeled butternut squash (I used the pre-cut butternut squash from Trader Joe’s)
  • 2 jars marinara sauce (recipe calls for a homemade smoky marinara, but I used a simple jar sauce instead)
  • 12 oven-ready lasagna noodles (meaning no-boil)
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese (I used grated, but next time I’d use shredded)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Roast butternut squash, tossed with 1 tbsp. olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper at 400° for about 30 minutes, or until tender (original recipe calls for microwaving the squash).

Heat 1 tbsp. grape seed (or olive) oil in a large pot over medium-high heat (original recipe calls for cooking spray instead of oil). Add onion; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add spinach; sauté 1 1/2 minutes or until spinach wilts – I add a large handful at a time, as the spinach shrinks while it cooks. Combine provolone, parsley, salt, pepper, eggs, and ricotta cheeses in a large bowl.

Coat the bottom and sides of 2 (8-inch-square) baking dishes with cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup  marinara sauce in the bottom of each prepared dish. Arrange 2 noodles over sauce in each pan; spread 1/4 of the cheese mixture over noodles. Arrange 1/2 of the squash over cheese mixture; spread 3/4 cup sauce over squash (original recipe says to do one pan at a time, but that makes no sense to me).

Arrange 2 noodles over sauce; spread remaining cheese mixture over the noodles in each pan. Arrange 1/2 of the onion mixture over cheese mixture; spread 3/4 cup sauce over spinach mixture.

Arrange 2 noodles over sauce; spread 1 cup marinara sauce evenly over noodles in each pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan. Cover each pan with foil.

Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes.

To freeze unbaked lasagna: Prepare through Step 6. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing to remove as much air as possible. Wrap with heavy-duty foil. Store in freezer for up to 2 months.

To prepare frozen unbaked lasagna: Thaw completely in refrigerator (about 24 hours). Preheat oven to 375º. Remove foil; reserve foil. Remove plastic wrap; discard wrap. Cover lasagna with reserved foil; bake at 375º for 1 hour. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Enjoy!