this week in our kitchen: butternut squash + spinach lasagna

By Nicole in Recipe on November 20, 2018November 20, 2018

“Once again, my life has been saved by the miracle of lasagna.” ~Garfield (Jim Davis)

Ooey, gooey, cheesy lasagna. You can smell it, right? Your mouth is watering, isn’t it? Now, what if I told my vegetarian friends this ooey, gooey, cheesy lasagna contained no meat? And, for my low-carb friends, what if I told you the dish was sans traditional noodles? Oh, and for those who don’t care about either of those things, it tastes delicious (and even has the added-health bonus of spinach).

And, while this dish is best for those nights when you’re not in a rush for the end product, it’s certainly well worth the wait. Yum!

BUTTERNUT SQUASH + SPINACH LASAGNA

Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine
Total time: 1 hour 35 minutes / Serves 6

The What

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups vertically sliced red onion
1 1/2 tablespoons sliced garlic
6 oz. baby spinach
3/4 cup plain Hungarian, Greek or other yogurt
1/3 cup 2% milk
3 ounces provolone cheese, torn into small pieces
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
1 (20-oz.) butternut squash
Cooking spray
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 1/2 ounces Gruyre cheese, grated (1/3 cup)

The How

Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add onion and garlic; sauté 4 minutes. Add spinach; sauté until wilted. Remove from heat. Place yogurt, milk, and provolone in a blender; blend 20 seconds. Add flour, salt, and eggs; blend 1 minute.
Peel neck of the squash. Cut neck from bulb. Cut neck into 24 (1/8-inch-thick) slices using a knife or mandoline. (Use bulb for more slices if needed.)
Place squash slices in an 8-inch square microwave-safe glass baking dish; cover with plastic wrap. Microwave until squash slices are almost tender, about 4 minutes. Remove squash from dish. Coat dish with cooking spray; spread 1/2 cup yogurt mixture in bottom of dish.
Shingle one-third of squash over yogurt mixture. Top with one-third of ricotta cheese, one-third of spinach mixture, and one-third of remaining yogurt mixture. Repeat procedure twice, ending with yogurt mixture.
Sprinkle lasagna with Gruyère. Cover dish with foil; bake at 350°F for 50 minutes. Remove from oven. Turn on broiler with oven rack about 8 inches from top. Remove foil from dish; broil 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven; loosely cover, and let stand 20 minutes. Cut into 6 rectangles.
Enjoy!