Winter Squash Meets Harvest Lasagna

Whenever I can, I love to add fruits and veggies to my meals, ecspecially being married to a picky eater who doesn' have much of an opinion of vegetables. Among pastas and pizzas, Lasagna's are the most requested from my husband. The nice thing about making lasagnas is that you can throw almost any kind of veggie into this delightful chessy cuisine, making it your own special creation. I actually like to think of it as a harvet lasagna so to speak. My typical harvest lasagna consists of Carrots, Zucchini, Spinach, and Tomatoes for the veggies of choice. Since I'm storing so much squash this year, I decided to add some cooked Butternut squash to my Ricotta Cheese mixture in my Harvest Lasagna. The result was fabulous. Who knew vegetables could taste so good!

Recipe for my Harvest Lasagna with Winter Squash

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles (9)

2 cups of Ricotta Cheese

1 Egg (slightly beaten)

1/2 cup Parmasean Cheese

2 Teaspoons Oregano

2 Teaspoons of Parsley

1 Teaspoon Minced Garlic

1 Teaspoon Dill Weed

Olive Oil

Sharp Chedder Cheese

Mozarella Cheese

Favorite Spaghetti Sauce or Seasoned Tomato Sauce

(I actually like to use 1 can of diced Italian Tomatoes and 1 jar of Spaghetti sauce)

Veggies of Choice (use any and all):

Butternut, Acorn, or other favorite winter squash

Zucchini

Carrots

Spinach

Asparagus

 Broccoli

Directions:

Layer # 1 Cheese Mixture:

Cook Squash as desired. While cooking, mix Ricotta Cheese, seasonings, and egg together. Spoon out cooked squash and mix with a little butter to make it creamy. Stir into Cheese mixture.

Layer # 2- Lasagna Noodles:
Cook Lasagna noodles by boiling until almost tender (don't over cook).

Layer # 3- Veggies with Sauce:
Thinly Slice all Veggies and saute together with Olive Oil an minced garlic (just so they are slightly cooked). (You can also blanch or steam them). Put partially cooked veggies in a sauce pan and add (can of diced tomatoes) Tomato or Spaghetti Sauce. Simmer until ready to layer in lasagna.

Assembly:
In a Deep Dish Baking Pan, pour a little Veggie mix along the bottom of pan, followed by these layers:
3 Noodles, Cheese mix, Veggie Mix, 3 Noodles, Cheese Mix,Veggie Mix, 3 Noodles, Cheese Mix and thenVeggie Mix. Top with Shredded cheeses (sharp chedder and Mozarella). You can also put some shredded cheese in between layers for a cheesier lasagna.

To Cook:
Cover with tin foil, bake in a pre-heated oven set @ 350 for 1 hour and then uncover and cook for an additional 15-20 mintues. Let it cool for at least 5- 10 minutes.

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