My kids devoured this, not even knowing it was squash and spinach.
Once you have the sauce prepared, it comes together quickly. You can make a large batch of the Butternut Garlic Sauce and freeze for future use.
Spinach Butternut Squash Lasagna
(Serves about 10-12)
Ingredients:
Olive oil for drizzling
1 ¼ lb ground turkey or lean ground beef
½ tsp Italian seasoning
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2 tsp chopped, fresh sage leaves or 1/2 tsp dried
12 whole grain lasagna noodles, cooked
4 cups fresh, baby spinach leaves chopped
3-4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Preparation:
-Preheat the oven to 350 and have a 12”x 10”x 2” (roughly) baking dish on hand.
-Place a large, non-stick saute pan over medium-high heat, add 2 Tbsp oil, add the meat into the pan next, add in the Italian seasoning, the salt, pepper and the garlic and stir to incorporate. Cook meat for a few minutes until cooked through and no longer pink. Remove from heat and stir in the fresh sage. Set aside to cool.
-To assemble the lasagna, add about 1 cup of the Butternut Sauce (recipe below) to the bottom of the baking dish. Next, add a row of cooked lasagna noodles over the sauce and then add another 1 cup of the sauce over top of the noodles. Next, add about half of the cooked meat, followed by 2 cups of the baby spinach leaves. Then sprinkle over about 1 cup worth of the mozzarella cheese, repeat the layering process. Finish the lasagna by adding the remaining lasagna noodles and the remaining sauce over top. Next, smooth sauce over the noodles and finish by sprinkling the remaining 1-2 cups of mozzarella cheese over the top. Add the remaining ½ tsp of Italian seasoning over the cheese. Place the lasagna into the oven and bake for roughy 30-35 minutes or until the cheese is melted and lightly golden. Serve while hot!
Creamy, Butternut Squash and Roasted Garlic Sauce
Ingredients:
(Can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated and/or frozen)
Olive oil for drizzling
3 heads garlic roasted
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
4 lbs butternut squash
1 tsp Italian seasoning
½ tsp black pepper
1 ½ cups low sodium chicken stock, warm
1 ½ cups low fat milk, warm
4 ounces low fat cream cheese, warm
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
Preparation:
-Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat.
-Slice butternut squash in half, remove seeds and baste with olive oil and pinch of salt. Turn face down on baking sheet. Toss garlic heads in oil, pinch of salt, then wrap in foil and place along side butternut squash. Roast along side for about 30-35 minutes or until a fork can be inserted into the squash. Remove from the oven and allow squash and garlic to cool slightly. Peel skin from squash and discard skin. Place 1/3 of squash and 1/3 of garlic into a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Place puree into a large pot. Repeat steps with remaining squash and garlic. *Note- you may need to add 1/2 cup of chicken stock to blender if puree is too thick.
-Place the pot with the puree on low heat, add in (remaining) chicken stock and milk, stir to incorporate. Next, add cream cheese, parmesan, the remaining 1 tsp of salt and stir to combine until cheese is melted. Remove from heat. Use immediately or refrigerate/freeze.
