Spinach and Butternut Squash Lasagna

12 Reviews
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8 servings (serving size: 1 piece)
By Krista Montgomery, M.S., R.D.
December 2006
RECIPE BY Cooking Light

This spinach lasagna recipe takes an interesting turn by including butternut squash in the mix. To streamline prep time, roast the squash ahead; sauté the spinach and make the white sauce too. Refrigerate all until you are ready to assemble the dish.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce)
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/3 cup minced shallots
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
  • 8 cups (3/4-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 2 1/4 pounds)
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
  • Cooking spray
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 (6-ounce) bags fresh baby spinach
  • 9 cooked lasagna noodles (8 ounces uncooked noodles)
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Asiago cheese
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Nutritional Information

  • Calories 445
  • Caloriesfromfat 30%
  • Fat 15g
  • Satfat 8.1g
  • Monofat 4.2g
  • Polyfat 0.7g
  • Protein 20.7g
  • Carbohydrate 61.5g
  • Fiber 7.3g
  • Cholesterol 36mg
  • Iron 4.8mg
  • Sodium 758mg
  • Calcium 599mg

How to Make It

Step 1

Cook milk in a small, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat to 180° or until tiny bubbles form around edge (do not boil). Remove from heat; keep warm.

Step 2

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Melt butter in a medium nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots; cook 2 minutes or until tender. Reduce heat; add flour to pan, and cook 5 minutes or until smooth and golden, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; add about 2 tablespoons warm milk to flour mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Gradually add remaining warm milk, about 1/2 cup at a time, until mixture is smooth, stirring constantly with a whisk. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and cook until smooth and thickened. Remove from heat. Cover surface of milk mixture with plastic wrap; set aside.

Step 3

Preheat oven to 425°.

Step 4

Place squash in a large bowl. Add vinegar; toss to coat. Add 1 tablespoon oil; toss to coat. Arrange squash in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and thyme. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes.

Step 5

Combine remaining 1 teaspoon oil, red pepper, and garlic in a Dutch oven over medium heat; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add spinach, 1 bag at a time; cook until wilted, stirring frequently. Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook until liquid evaporates, stirring frequently.

Step 6

Reduce oven temperature to 350°.

Step 7

Spoon 1/3 cup milk mixture in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 noodles over milk mixture; top with spinach mixture, 2/3 cup milk mixture, 1/2 cup Asiago, and 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano. Arrange 3 noodles over cheese; top with squash mixture, 2/3 cup milk mixture, remaining 1/2 cup Asiago, and 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano. Arrange remaining 3 noodles on top of cheese; spread remaining 1/2 cup milk mixture over noodles. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

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Ratings & Reviews

amheers's Review

dinkydoo
March 09, 2012
It was ok. Very expensive and time consuming for average result.

dinkydoo's Review

spicytofu
November 18, 2011
Time consuming but had a great outcome. My meat-lover boyfriend enjoyed it and asked that I make it again. Leftovers were just as good and co-workers really enjoyed as well.

spicytofu's Review

SoonerSinger
November 12, 2011
Great recipe, but I did make a few changes. Like everyone else, I, too, had to increase the ingredients to make the sauce and I just made enough to cover the precooked noodles: 4 cups of milk and 1/3 cup of flour added. And next time I would add 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red peppers to give it more taste. For a 9x13 inch baking pan, I needed a total of 12 noodles. As for the time spent cooking, it's about right for assembling a lasagna. While the butternut was in the oven roasting, I got everything else ready. It was very simple and quick enough. My husband and special guest enjoyed it and gave this recipe a 2 thumbs up.

SoonerSinger's Review

amheers
January 24, 2011
This lasagna is decadent, creamy, and packed with flavor! The recipe is written out of order, definitely start with the squash, then the bechamel, then the spinach and noodles. I left the crushed red pepper out because I thought the spice would be an odd pairing with the sweetness of the roasted squash. I also added a splash of white wine to the spinach while sauteeing it. I cut this into 9 servings instead of 8, which makes more sense and cuts the calories to 395/serving. I had some friends over, and everyone had seconds! This is a great weekend dish (it is a bit time consuming) and is impressive for company!

SeaBabe's Review

SeaBabe
January 20, 2011
I made this recipe to bring to a pot luck gathering after reading a few of the previous reviews. I wish I had read them all....the instructions are a little off/out of order as someone mentioned. I wish I had seen that comment before embarking on this recipe which is, as stated quite a bit of work. If you make this be sure to cook the butternut squash first....I think after you make it once, you'll find your own method and rythym that will make this a bit easier. I added a slight bit of nutmeg (just a little sprinkle) while wilting the spinach...nutmeg give spinach a nice zap for some reason. I also doubled the sauce recipe after reading that there didn't seem to be enough. I'm happy I did. I also think the next time I make this I will adjust the butter/flour for the sauce...it didn't work well for me, I think more butter with a little less flour will work better. I used whole wheat lasagna to make this a bit healthier. I also sprinkled a little parsley and a tiny bit more crushed red pepper on the top before baking in order to make this look a little prettier. I thought the taste of this was very good. It's not something I would eat often...I am surprised it was in Cooking Light magazine!! But it was rich and very tasty and nice to have a lasagna that was far different from the same-old thing. I would definitely make it again for another pot-luck, or for guests. It was worth the work in my opinion.

trim2gofast's Review

MountainChild
March 13, 2010
Love this recipe. I agree it is time consuming and doesn't have enough sauce. I put the recipe into MS Word and separated it into stages and printed in a larger font. Makes it much easier to follow. I made two at Christmas, but only served one and froze the other. I served it at New Year's and everyone loved it. This is a great vegetarian recipe when you are serving a meat eating crowd. It is now my staple recipe when I have a crowd. I had a party and served meat lasagna and this lasagna and had meat leftover and none of this one. ....and I hang with mostly meat eaters.

MountainChild's Review

nawlinslady
February 15, 2010
This is a time consuming recipe, only for weekends or holidays. However, I LOVE this recipe and make it whenever I have the chance. There is definitely enough bechamel sauce - it's not supposed to be a 'saucy' recipe, but you can make more if you want. I add a little nutmeg to the sauce too. Some time/money savers - if available, purchase already cut up squash at the store. Also, frozen spinach works fine, just be sure to drain it. And with most CL recipes, it requires more salt, pepper, red pepper, and thyme than the recipe calls for. Whole wheat noodles add great texture as well. Finally, I have assembled the final dish and left it in the fridge until ready to cook - that works fine if you need to prepare ahead.

nawlinslady's Review

ErinMichelle
January 27, 2010
Do not make this recipe! It is very time consuming and it does not taste good. Not enought sauce although I made double the roux and the top pasta layer did not cook. Good ingredients and they each tasted good but together it was not a good combination - and not light at all. Do not waste your time!!

deeannaNtx's Review

uberchef
January 16, 2010
This was a labor intensive recipe, so not an every day meal. I really liked the sauce and wished it had more of a presence in the finished product. I found the sweetness from the squash and the earthyness of the spinach to be somewhat disconnected. In the end, I would make this again but maybe with more sauce.

tialika's Review

deeannaNtx
November 28, 2009
I couldn't wait to put the entire lasagna in the garbage!!! This is a very expensive recipe and the final result is very dissapoint!!!! Do not go by the reviews because is a lie!! I had guests over for thanksgiving and I was so embaress, had to prepare something very quick. The combination is not good and the recipe for the cream that they give you is not enough for the lasagna. the final result is a very DRY lasagna since you are using 2 diferent type of dry cheese. I STRONGLY DO NOT RECOMEND!!!!