Shout out to Kristin and her blog Iowa Girl Eats for this recipe!  It is fabulous! I made it when Arielle & Emily were home (for the hurricane) and the word “delicious” was heard several times during dinner.  I make a several different vegetarian lasagnas, but had never made one with butternut squash before.  The flavor and texture of the squash combined with that of the spinach was perfect. This will definitely become a regular dish in our house.

I love how recipes morph in the blogosphere – this is adapted from Kristin’s which was adapted from Cooking Light!  We each have our own preferences for flavor or technique, so you should always be able to find an approach that works for you.  This recipe looks complicated, but it is actually very simple and easy – and sooooo worth it!

Butternut Squash Lasagna

(slightly adapted from IowaGirlEats.Com)

1 1/2 cups butternut squash, peeled and diced (from the garden)

1 Tbsp water

6 no-boil lasagna sheets

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Spinach filling

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, minced

5 cups  baby spinach, roughly chopped

Cheese filling

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

4 tsp dried parsley (from the garden)

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 egg (from Farmer Kim)

15 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese

Marinara Sauce (I used my basic tomato sauce)

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Kosher salt and pepper

14.5 ounce can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes

14.5 ounce can tomatoes, crushed

Butternut Squash Filling

Place the butternut squash in a microwave-safe bowl, add 1 Tbsp water and microwave for 5-7 minutes, or until tender.  Mash and set aside.

Spinach Filling

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Saute onions until tender.  Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Cheese Filling

Mix together mozzarella, parsley, salt, pepper, egg and ricotta in a bowl.  Set aside.

Marinara

Use your own sauce or heat oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat.  Add garlic, basil, parsley and oregano. Stir for 30 seconds, then add the rest of the sauce ingredients.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Assembly

Heat oven to 375F.

In an 8×8 square pan, spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce.  Add 2 lasagna sheets.

Spread 1/2 the cheese filling over the noodles.

Spread butternut squash over the cheese.

Spread 3/4 cup sauce on top, then 2 lasagna sheets.

Spread the rest of the cheese over the noodles.

Arrange the spinach filling over the cheese.

Spread 3/4 cup of sauce on top, then add the last 2 lasagna sheets.

Spread remaining sauce on top.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for another 30 minutes.  Let sit for 10 minutes before cutting.

Cut into 6 pieces, serve, and enjoy!

Serves 6

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