Butternut Squash Lasagna

I love lasagna and thought this would be a healthier alternative, plus the addition of butternut squash would be great for fall. I thought it turned out pretty good! The recipe is actually for two lasagnas, I should have halved it. But now I have one in my freezer!

Yield: 2 lasagnas, 6 servings per pan


Ingredients
Cooking spray
3 cups chopped onion
10 cup fresh spinach
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp provolone cheese
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 part-skim ricotta cheese
1 (15-ounce) carton fat-free ricotta cheese
3 cups diced peeled butternut squash
6 cups Smoky Marinara
12 oven-ready lasagna noodles (such as Barilla)
1 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°.

Heat a large Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add spinach; sauté 1 1/2 minutes or until spinach wilts. Combine provolone, parsley, salt, pepper, eggs, and ricotta cheeses in a large bowl.

Place squash in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and cook on high 5 minutes or until tender.

Coat the bottom and sides of 2 (8-inch-square) baking dishes with cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup Smoky Marinara in the bottom of one prepared dish. Arrange 2 noodles over sauce; spread 1 cup cheese mixture over noodles. Arrange 1 1/2 cups squash over cheese mixture; spread 3/4 cup sauce over squash.

Arrange 2 noodles over sauce; spread 1 cup cheese mixture over the noodles. Arrange 1 1/2 cups onion mixture over cheese mixture; spread 3/4 cup sauce over spinach mixture.

Arrange 2 noodles over sauce; spread 1 cup Smoky Marinara evenly over noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan. Repeat procedure with remaining ingredients in remaining pan. 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.

Nutritional Information
Calories:254 (30% from fat)
Fat:8.5g (sat 4.5g,mono 2.2g,poly 0.3g)
Protein:18.6g
Carbohydrate:27.6g
Fiber:3.3g
Cholesterol:69mg
Iron:3.2mg
Sodium:560mg
Calcium:414mg
Barbara Seelig Brown, Cooking Light, MARCH 2003

Changes I made:

- I used part-skim mozzarella instead of sharp provolone. (Whole Foods had a suprisingly small selection of provolone).

- I used all part-skim ricotta instead of fat-free. (As Ted Allen says, fat free cheese is the polyester of food).

- I used premade marinara (Muir Glen Organic) instead of making the smoky marinara recipe.

Things I will do differently next time:

- I either won't use no-boil noodles or I will put more marinara across the top. The top layer of noodles turned out a little crunchy.

- I will use less onion, several bites were too "oniony" for my taste. I will probably add more spinach, too.