Butternut Squash Lasagna (FAGE Good Living Part I)

Who wants to go to Greece!? Cause I sure do. When I heard that FAGE Total Authenic Greek Yogurt was giving away an 8 day trip to Greece to a FoodBuzz Featured Publisher, I knew I had to get in on it. (Not a Foodbuzz Featured Publisher but want a chance to win for yourself? Enter here.)

Greek cuisine and FAGE Total represent the Greek tradition of “good living”, combining good food and fine taste for a positive, healthy life. And together, Foodbuzz and FAGE Total asked bloggers to create up to three posts illustrating this concept and how it applies to their lives. Three posts means more chances to win, so guess what I plan on doing? Yup, three posts – each discussing ways I strive for “good living”.

Although it was not required to use any FAGE products, I chose to because Greek yogurt is one way in which I bring “good living” into my life. Greek yogurt helps me find ways to make delicious meals healthier without ever noticing. I most commonly have used it to replace butter in cookies. It can also be used as a great substitute for sour cream, mayo, cream, or even ricotta cheese seen in the recipe I am sharing today!

But before we dive into that, I wanted to also share that even though most of the time I strive to make meals healthier (by using low fat options, whole wheat, etc.), part of what I consider a healthy lifestyle is not denying myself some gluttony every now and then. It should be pretty obvious that food is a huge part of my life, which means I would never last a day on this earth without ever eating anything greasy, or every dessert a la mode. Without them, I think I would fall into a deep depression. However, I also make sure that I participate in a diverse range of workout routines six days a week – balancing out the times when I cannot help but eat half of a large supreme pizza. It’s all about a balanced lifestyle, right? At least that’s what works for me in the search for “good living”.

So back to this lasagna I have for you today. Not only is half the ricotta substituted by FAGE Greek yogurt, but it’s full of other wonderful things, namely butternut squash and spinach (I wish I could’ve found whole-wheat no-boil lasagna sheets too but no such luck). It’s a wonderful fall lasagna that is rich with flavor and definitely fills you up! It also turned out to be a fairly easy weeknight meal to put together, and I ended up doing a Yoga DVD in my living room while it cooked!

One year ago: Broccoli Cheddar Soup

BUTTERNUT SQUASH LASAGNA

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups butternut squash, peeled and diced (I used frozen)

1 Tbsp water

6 no-boil lasagna sheets

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

6 large fresh sage leaves

SPINACH FILLING

Non-stick cooking spray

1-1/2 cups onion, minced

Up to 1/4 cup water

5 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped

CHEESE FILLING

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp shredded mozzarella cheese (1.5 ounces)

4 tsp dried parsley

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 egg

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

MARINARA SAUCE (makes 3 cups total)

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp dried oregano

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Salt & pepper

1-14.5oz can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes

1-14.5oz can crushed tomatoes

Directions:

1. For the butternut squash: Place butternut squash* in a microwave-safe bowl, add 1 Tablespoon water and microwave for 5-7 minutes, or until tender. Set aside.
2. For the spinach filling: Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray and sauté onions until tender. If onions start to burn, add in water 1 Tablespoon at a time. Add spinach to the onions and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Turn off heat and set aside.
3. For the cheese filling: Combine mozzarella, parsley, nutmeg, salt, pepper, egg, ricotta cheese and yogurt in a bowl. Set aside.
4. For the marinara sauce: Heat extra virgin olive oil in a medium-size pot over medium heat. Add garlic, basil, parsley and oregano. Stir constantly for 30 seconds, then add in remaining sauce ingredients. Simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside.
5. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8×8 casserole with non-stick spray, then spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce in the bottom. Add 2 lasagna sheets, then spread 1 cup cheese filling over the noodles.
6. Arrange squash over the cheese, then spread 3/4 cup sauce on top. Place sage leaves over the sauce.
   
7. Add 2 lasagna sheets, then spread 1 cup cheese filling over the noodles.
8. Drain any excess moisture from the spinach filling, arrange over the cheese, then spread 3/4 cup sauce on top.
9. Add 2 lasagna sheets, then spread the remaining sauce on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and cover with foil.
10. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered for 30 more minutes. Allow lasagna to cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

*If using frozen butternut squash, thaw first and check tenderness because you may not need to microwave it (I didn’t).

Source: Adapted slightly from Iowa Girl Eats. Originally adapted from Cooking Light.

Disclosure: As part of the Foodbuzz Featured Publisher program, I have been entered for the chance to win a trip to Greece courtesy of FAGE. You too can enter to win one of three trips to Greece by entering the FAGE Plain Extraordinary Greek Getaway here: http://www.fageusa.com/community/fage-greek-getaway