Butternut Squash & Spinach Lasagna.

I’m on a huge butternut squash kick this season! Tonight I’m excited to share a delicious, healthier recipe combining one of my favorite, indulgent winter dinners {lasagna!} while substituting roasted squash slices for the noodles. I made this recipe two ways while testing it, with and without cheese. K and I decided that going the cheese route is the best for this dish, but you could certainly leave it out and add extra sauce, veggies or meat instead. This makes an excellent dinner for four, or two with leftovers. I swear it’s even better the second day.

I also substituted cottage cheese for ricotta in this version of lasagna. Some may think that’s odd, but my mom has always used it for her lasagna dishes and it’s a perfect, healthier substitute for creamy ricotta. I used low-fat cottage cheese because I like the texture much better than the non-fat/skim version. This recipe is also inspired by my recent Factor 75 experience, a local meal delivery service. My favorite delivered dish from Factor 75 {<– affiliate link} was the butternut squash lasagna. While Factor 75’s version contained meat and no cheese, it was absolutely delicious and an excellent healthy dinner for a busy weeknight.

This particular lasagna makes three layers, using a medium-sized butternut squash in a deep baking dish. The key is roasting the squash in 1/4 inch rounds as your first step, before assembling the lasagna. Otherwise you really can’t go wrong using squash in place of noodles!

Butternut Squash & Spinach Lasagna
Serves 4.

Ingredients~
1 butternut squash
1/2 yellow onion {chopped}
2 cloves garlic {chopped}
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup small curd cottage cheese {I used low fat}
1 jar marinara sauce {24 ounces; I used Bertolli’s classic marinara}
1 package {8 ounces} part skim shredded mozzarella cheese
3+ cups spinach
1 egg
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

How to~
*Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
*Peel butternut squash and cut into 1/4 inch round slices. Drizzle with oil, salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and roast at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.
*While the squash is roasting, saute chopped onions on medium heat in a few teaspoons of oil, for ~5 minutes. Add garlic and continue cooking for ~3 minutes.
*Prepare the cheese mixture. Start by whisking 1 egg in a small bowl. Stir in 3/4 cup cottage cheese. Add 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Stir in 2 cups of shredded cheese.
*Assemble – add a small amount of marinara to the bottom of your dish. Layer squash, cheese mix, spinach/onion mix, and marinara. Repeat the layering twice, and top with a handful of the remaining shredded cheese.
*Bake assembled lasagna in a covered dish for ~15 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 additional minutes.