squash lasagne

squash lasagne
1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 eggplant, prepared (see below) and cubed
olive oil
kosher salt
pepper
spaghetti sauce
cooked lasagna or other baked pasta-type noodles
mozzarella cheese
ricotta cheese

Prepare the eggplant by peeling it and then slicing into circles about 3/4-inch wide. Sprinkle both sides of circles with kosher salt and set in colander to drain for 20-30 minutes (this draws moisture out). Pat dry with paper towels and then cut into cubes before sauteing.

Put a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Put butternut squash in skillet and sprinkle salt and pepper on. Put lid on skillet to help squash cook all the way through. Once it is finished, put squash aside and saute eggplant the same way except without adding any salt (I don't cook them together because the eggplant cooks a lot faster than the butternut squash).

Spray the bottom of a deep pan or casserole dish with cooking spray, and then put a little spaghetti sauce in the bottom. Add a layer of lasagna noodles (we've used bowties and ziti too, and it still turns out yummy). Spread a layer of ricotta on, then a layer of squash and eggplant, and then sprinkle some mozzarella cheese on top. Then start layering again - sauce, noodles, ricotta, squash, mozzarella - until your lasagna is tall enough.

Bake in 350-degree oven for about a half-hour or until the cheese is all bubbly and it smells so good you just have to eat it right away.

Bruce even loves this stuff. I told him it tastes like butter (and it kindof does) and he ate it and loved it.

And in case you're wondering, I always make a smaller pan for my cholesterol-free version; I just eliminate the ricotta cheese and replace mozzarella with Veggie Slices tofu cheese.
submitted by: Emily Raymond