Butternut Squash Lasagna

 Butternut Squash Lasagna (adapted from Better Homes & Gardens, Total Time: 2 hours, Servings: 8-10)

Ingredients

·         3 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch-thick slices

·         ¼ cup margarine

·         6 cloves garlic, minced

·         ¼ cup all-purpose flour

·         ½ teaspoon salt

·         4 cups skim milk

·         1 Tbsp. snipped fresh rosemary

·         6-9 no-boil lasagna noodles

·         1 cup shredded Italian pizza cheese

·         1 cup half and half

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with Pam. Place squash in the prepared baking pan. Spread in an even layer. Roast, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes or until squash is tender, stirring once. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F.

For sauce:

1.      Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat margarine over medium heat. Add garlic; cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir in flour and ½ tsp. salt. Gradually stir in milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Stir in squash and rosemary.

2.      Spray a 13x9x2-inch baking dish or 3-quart rectangular casserole with Pam.

3.      To assemble, spread about 1 cup of the sauce in the prepared baking dish.

           A.) If using 9 noodles:

                       1.) Layer three of the noodles in dish. Spread with one-third of the remaining sauce. Sprinkle      

                             with 1/3 cup of the shredded cheese. Repeat layering noodles, sauce, and Parmesan cheese 

                              two more times. Pour half and half evenly over layers in dish. Sprinkle with the remaining 

                              shredded cheese.

            B.) If using 6 noodles:

                       1.) Layer three of the noodles in the dish.  Spread half of the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with half 

                             of the shredded cheese. Repeat layering noodles, sauce, and Parmesan cheese one more 

                              time. Pour half and half evenly over layers in dish. Sprinkle with the remaining shredded 

                              cheese.

4.      Cover dish with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake about 10 minutes more or until edges are bubbly and top is lightly browned. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

I don’t like cutting whole butternut squash, so I bought the pre-chunked kind.  It worked just fine!  The butternut squash comes out soft, so there isn't much of a texture combination in this dish.  I only used 6 noodles, so my lasagna had a little bit of excess liquid.  However, I liked it and will keep on eating the leftovers.  The changes above take out a lot of the calories and fat from the original recipe.

As for changes, I recommend adding some pepper to the sauce. I think that would go a long way to enhancing the flavor of the dish.  It does fill up your tummy though!  Be careful with the garlic, a few days later, my house still smells of it!