Roasted Butternut Squash Four Cheese Lasagna

Name: Roasted Butternut Squash Four Cheese Lasagna
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 20 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 tsp olive oil; 2 small onions, sliced; 2 tsp sugar; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 box frozen spinach, thawed and drained; 1/2 15 oz. tub part-skim ricotta cheese; 1/2 c fat-free cottage cheese; 1 large egg; 1 box lasagna noodles; 1 jar(s) marinara sauce, 24 oz.; 3 c roasted and mashed butternut squash; 1/2 lb reduced fat mozzarella cheese, shredded; Parmesan cheese

By April McIver
@AspieApril

Rich, warm layers of lightly sweet butternut squash, creamy ricotta, caramelized onions and vibrant greens nestled between sheets of tender pasta with zesty marinara and mozzarella on top.

Call this one serendipity. I bought a huge butternut squash at a farm stand and had to decide what to do with it all. I baked it last night by slicing it in half, removing the seeds, placing cut side down in a pan and baking at 350 until it was tender. It was a monster, and it took a bit over an hour. Then I peeled and mashed it. Searching for recipes that use squash I found several for butternut squash lasagna featuring a fat-laden creamy white sauce. I prefer lasagna to have marinara, so here’s my take on it.

I obviously didn’t spend much time making the picture pretty – if you could experience how good this smells you wouldn’t waste time making it pretty before devouring it either!

Blue Ribbon Recipe

With every bite of this delicious lasagna, your taste buds will get happier and happier. Each layer has such a different flavor, but it all pairs so well together. There's so much flavor, you'll completely forget it's meatless. This is very good! The Test Kitchen

Rating:

★★★★★ 2 votes5

Comments:

8 Comments

Serves:

Prep:

30 Min

Cook:

1 Hr 20 Min

Method:

Bake

Ingredients

2 tsp

olive oil
2 small

onions, sliced
2 tsp

sugar
1/2 tsp

salt
1 box

frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2

15 oz. tub part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 c

fat-free cottage cheese
1 large

egg
1 box

lasagna noodles
1 jar(s)

marinara sauce, 24 oz.
3 c

roasted and mashed butternut squash
1/2 lb

reduced fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
·

Parmesan cheese
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How to Make Roasted Butternut Squash Four Cheese Lasagna

Step-by-Step

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions, sugar, and salt.
Cook until slightly transparent, about 2 minutes, then reduce heat to low. Continue cooking another 20 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden.
Add spinach to onions.
Combine ricotta, cottage cheese and egg in a small bowl. Set aside.
Prepare your pasta per package directions.
Set the oven to 375 to preheat.
Begin to assemble your lasagna. The layers are:

a. Pour a small amount of marinara in the bottom of a 9×13 inch pan.

b. Spread a layer of noodles, overlapping slightly.

c. Add a layer of butternut squash, by dropping spoonfuls then smoothing them.

d. Another layer of noodles.

e. Ricotta mixture, using the same method as the squash.

f. Another layer of noodles.

g. Spinach and caramelized onions.

h. Add the final layer of noodles.

i. Marinara.

j. Mozzarella.

k. Sprinkle over some Parmesan.
Cover loosely with foil, trying to tent it up so it doesn’t touch the cheese. Bake 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake 30 more. Let cool 20 minutes or so before cutting, to help keep it from falling apart when you serve it. It will firm up and set as it cools.