This was an old post in which I talked about Giada's butternut squash lasagna recipe. It's one of my favorites, but it's kind of high in the fat department, so I lighten it up. Here's the lightened up version of Giada's recipe.
If you really like squash, you might want to double or just increase the amount. Before this recipe, I didn't even like squash. Thanks to Giada, I'm really starting to warm up to it. I still plan on trying this with sage in place of basil and whole wheat lasagna noodles in place of the regular no-bake.
Small Batch Butternut Squash Lasagna
10 ounces winter squash -- frozen, thawed (Cascadian Farms or Trader Joe's)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ tablespoons dried bread crumbs (Progresso)
½ tablespoon amaretto
⅛ teaspoon each, salt & pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ½ cup evaporated skim milk
⅓ cup reduced fat milk
½ cup cottage cheese
¼ cup basil leaves, loosely packed
1 Pinch nutmeg (fresh)
¼ teaspoon each - salt & pepper
8 no-boil lasagna noodles (5 ounces) (Skinner Oven Read)
1 ¼ cups 2% Milk Italian Three Cheese Blend (Kraft)
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Spray an 8 inch square glass baking dish with cooking spray.
In a saucepan or mixing bowl, stir together the thawed squash, bread crumbs, amaretto, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk butter and flour together for 1 minute or until smooth. Gradually whisk in the evaporated milk and reduced fat milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium or medium low and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
In bowl of a food processor or blender, puree basil and cottage cheese until creamy. Add in 2-3 tablespoons of the hot sauce and puree for another minute. Slowly stir the cottage cheese mixture into the saucepan with the sauce. Stir in nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Spread ⅓ cup of sauce over bottom of baking dish and begin making layers.
Anchor two 2 noodles in the sauce, they will overlap slightly; spread with ⅓ cup of squash, sprinkle on ⅓ cup shredded cheese and ⅓ cup of sauce. Repeat two more times so that you have three layers of filling. Cap with last two noodles. Pour remaining sauce over top
Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake the lasagna for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese over the lasagna. Continue baking uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, 10 minutes longer. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving.
Anna says
Elizabeth, thanks for trying the revised version. Next time I make it, I am going to use ricotta cheese and fat free half & half just for fun. Both of those things sound like good substitutes
Elizabeth says
Oh, yummmmmm! We loved it! It may not have been as rich as Giada's but the butternut squash itself is so rich and creamy that I don't know that it needs more richness.
I made a couple of changes, using ricotta instead of cottage cheese and fat-free half-and-half instead of the regular milk -- not sure how much of a difference that made but it was lovely.
Thanks for the recipe!
Anna says
Elizabeth, if you make the light version, let me know what you think. It was definitely not as rich as Giada's, but it was tasty nonetheless and seemed more practical for every day. I'd like to figure out a way to make it creamier and richer without adding more fat.
Elizabeth says
Yum! I'm making this for dinner tonight -- wanted to make Giada's version for a while, never got around to it. This sounds lovely.
PS. Love the blog -- I read it regularly!
veuveclicquot says
I've been meaning to try this recipe, but was a bit intimidated by the fat content. Thanks for providing a "lighter" version. It sounds perfect for fall-time!
Jen says
I definitely see myself liking sage in this better than basil. I just like that combination. I'll be curious what you think.
Debbi says
I just found a recipe last night on the foodnetwork for Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese. I want to try that and see if the kids will eat it. Thanks for the squash idea! Now, if you could just get squash into cookies.....
Jill - GlossyVeneer says
I'm intrigued by your lower-fat version. This sounds wonderful, but my husband swears he hates squash. I may have to try making this for my parents when I visit them, a more approving audience! Either that or I have to be sneaky and not let him know.
Joe says
Nice! Jeff "thinks" he doesn't like butternut squash, but he's eaten it several times and loved it. This might be another way to get him to eat it!