Bite Of Minnesota: Butternut Squash Lasagna
Like many others, my big meal prep day is Sunday. It's the day that I crank out soups, work on cooking projects, and make sure the fridge is prepped for the week by using the old stuff and replenishing it with new items.
I've been hanging on to a jar of oil-packed herbed chevre from Singing Hills Goat Dairy for a while now, using a scoop here and there for spinach scrambled eggs. The flavor is amazingly rich, oozing with oil and herbs and I thought it would be spectacular paired with butternut squash. I had just finished cubing some squash so I saved the neck to make a quasi-lasagna, layering slices of roasted butternut squash, chèvre, Parmesan and sautéed spinach.
It was an easy dish to make but I would suggest using a mandoline to slice the squash if you have one. I sliced mine by hand and developed a bit of a blister afterward. Count it as a lesson learned (or a callus earned). Don't worry if you don't have Singing Hills chevre in your possession. It's a little tough to get until the farmers' markets start up again. Just use herbed chèvre from the grocery store and drizzle a little olive oil over the squash slices.
Note that unless you're using a lot of squash, this meal tends to be on the lighter side. I threw it in the oven after a late work out and served it alongside a salad.
Butternut Squash Lasagna
1 long-necked butternut squash, sliced into 1/8-inch thick slices
4 oz. herbed chèvre
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
3 cups fresh spinach
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange squash slices in a single layer on a baking sheet or jelly roll pan. Bake for 15 minutes until tender yet still firm.
Meanwhile, sauté spinach in a dry pan until wilted. Squeeze out excess water and set aside.
In a baking dish, layer cooked squash slices, top with chevre, sautéed spinach, and parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, ending with chevre and parmesan.* Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until the cheese is slightly browned.
*At this point, the lasagna can be covered with foil and stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Bake covered for 10 minutes before uncovering for the last 5-10 minutes.
