Can Lasagna Really Be Good Without Meat?

I started making this lasagna Thursday night and halfway through I realized it was getting late.  So we ordered a pizza instead and ate the lasagna tonight.  So I finished putting it all together before the pizza arrived.  The recipe makes 2 pans medium sized pans, so I put one in the freezer and the other in the fridge.  The lesson here is that this is not a .quick weeknight dinner but it was really nice to have it ready for dinner tonight and just pop it into the oven to bake, especially on a Friday after working all week.  You'll notice the addition of a Friday night MUST in the picture....mmmm Grasshopper!

The lasagna was tasty, my husband didn't even complain about the lack of meat.  Although, I wont lie, it would have been even better with beef or even veal in the marinara.  I mostly liked the spinach layer over the squash.  I think the squash was a little over powered by all of the other flavours.  But it was a great healthy lasagna, ONLY 235 calories per serving.  I look forward to taking the other pan out of the freezer in the future.  I'll be sure to let you all know how the frozen lasagna works out.

Butternut Squash Lasagna
Makes 2 lasagnas, 6 servings per pan ONLY 235 calories per serving!

Ingredients

·       Cooking spray

·       3  cups  chopped onion

·       1 lb  fresh spinach

·       Salt, Pepper and fresh grated nutmeg to taste

·       1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

·       1/2  cup  chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

·       1  teaspoon  salt

·       1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

·       2  large eggs

·       750ml carton 1% cottage cheese

·       4  cups  diced peeled butternut squash

·       6  cups marinara (see below)

·       12  oven-ready lasagna noodles

·       1  cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Heat a large Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 6 minutes or until tender. Add spinach; sauté spinach wilts. Combine mozzarella, parsley, salt, pepper, eggs, and cottage cheeses in a large bowl.
3. Place squash in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and cook on high 5 minutes or until tender. Or in a large skillet sauté over medium with ¼ cup water until tender, 10-12 minutes.
4. Coat the bottom and sides of 2 (8-inch-square) baking dishes with cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup marinara in the bottom of prepared dishes. Arrange noodles over sauce to cover the bottom of the dish, you may need to break the noodles up to make them fit. Spread 1 cup cheese mixture, in each dish, over noodles. Arrange 1 1/2 cups squash, in each dish, over cheese mixture; spread 3/4 cup sauce, in each dish, over squash.
5. Arrange another layer of noodles over sauce; spread 1 cup cheese mixture over the noodles. Arrange 1 1/2 cups onion spinach mixture over cheese mixture and top with ¾ cup sauce.  Repeat in second dish
6. Arrange a final layer of noodles over sauce; spread 1 cup marinara evenly over noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan. Repeat procedure with remaining ingredients in remaining pan. Cover each pan with foil.
7. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes.
8. 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.
9. To prepare frozen unbaked lasagna: Thaw completely in refrigerator overnight. 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!