Worth the Time and the Mess

Those of you who know me, know that I tend to procrastinate on everything.  When in school, I would drag my heels and wait until the last hour to start a paper.  At home, I wait until the last hour to start dinner, much to the husband's dismay.  Lucky for me (on two fronts), he was busy working on painting the upstairs bathroom in the new house while I was trimming the tree, trying to figure out where to put things, and then I started dinner....late.

Lasagnas are delicious, but can be very time consuming.  This particular recipe was no different and created a huge mess in the kitchen.  It was worth it. 

One of my favorite things about the fall is eating butternut squash. I can't get enough of it.  When I was looking back through some old...wait for it...Cooking Light issues, I saw a recipe for spinach and butternut squash lasagna.  How perfect, it is a comfort food that has butternut squash and the green veggies that I need to eat more of.  The dish was heavenly. The sauce was creamy, but not too rich.  The cheeses lended the right amount of salt and nuttiness.  The butternut squash was tender and the spinach with a bit of garlic was fantasic. 

Apologies in advance for no photo.  I found my camera, but don't have a picture because the dish is very messy and at 8:30 last night when I was eating, I didn't feel like plating in a nice manner.

Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna (adapted from Cooking Light)
(printable recipe)

9 whole wheat lasagna noodles
3 cups 2% milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup minced shallots
1 1/4 teaspoons salt (divided)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (divided)
8 cups of butternut squash, cut into 3/4 inch pieces (about 2.25 pounds)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
4 teaspoons olive oil (divided)
cooking spray
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 minced garlic cloves
3 (6 ounce) bags of baby spinach
1 cup shredded Asiago cheese
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Pre-heat oven to 425F.
2. Peel and cut butternut squash.  Place squash in a large bowl.  Add vinegar, toss to coat.  Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, toss to coat.  Arrange squash in a single layer on a jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray or on a Silpat.  Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and thyme.  Bake at 425F for 30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes. 
3. While oven pre-heats, prepare lasagna noodles according to package directions. 
4. Cook milk in a small, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until tiny bubbles form around the edge.  Don't let the milk boil.  Remove from heat; keep warm.
5. Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.  Add shallots, cook two minutes or until tender.  Reduce heat; add flour, and cook for 5 minutes or until golden, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat, add 2 tablespoons of milk to flour mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk.  Gradually add remaining milk, 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 pepper.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook until smooth and thickened.  Remove from heat and set aside.
6. Combine 1 teaspoon olive oil, red pepper, and garlic in a Dutch oven over medium heat; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add spinach, one bag at a time; cook until wilted, stirring constantly.  Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, cook until liquid evaporates, stirring frequently. 
7. After squash is done cooking, reduce oven temperature to 350F.
8. Spoon 1/3 cup of milk mixture onto the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish that was coated with cooking spray.  Add three noodles on top of milk mixture; top with spinach mixture, 2/3 cups milk mixture, 1/2 cup Asiago, 1/4 cup Parmesan.  Arrange three noodles on top of cheese; add squash mixture, remaining 1/2 cup Asiago, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and 2/3 cup milk mixture.  Add remaining noodles, milk mixtures and Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.  Let it stand for about 10 minutes after. 

Yield: 8 servings