{the dish} butternut squash & spinach|traditional meat

Just the other day Amy and I got together to cook. It is so much fun cooking with a friend. We talked, laughed, listened, mixed, spread ... had a great time. We also ended the day with 2 wonderful lasagnas for each of us. I froze one to use at a later date and we devoured one last night. So good. Next time I think I will serve wine while we cook!

We made a vegetarian butternut squashspinach lasagna and a traditional meat lasagna. Amy brought her gluten free corn pasta and used that in lieu of regular pasta. Here are the recipes for both - I have boiled it down to 6 steps. Enjoy! Thanks to Amy for letting me post these!

lasagna for friends by amy and ann

step 1: Make the Sauce (or if you are using store bought skip to step 2)

basic sauce

8 cloves garlic crushed and chopped & olive oil to saute in

4 15 oz cans tomato sauce

1 1/2 - 2 15oz cans tomato paste

1/2 cup red wine

1 tbls oregano

1 tbls basil

1 tsp red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

Saute onions until cooked. add all other ingredients and simmer. Thin with wine or water. To make thicker add more tomato paste. Adjust seasonings according to your taste.

step 2: ricotta layer:

3 lbs fresh ricotta (if you can't find this use the packaged ricotta)

1 15 oz package ricotta

1 tbls basil

1 tbls oregano

2 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper

mix and set aside

step 3: choose your type of lasagna or make both

butternut squashspinach filling

1/2 onion chopped

4 10oz packages frozen butternut squash - thawed. (if using fresh cut into small cubes - you will need 2 large squashes)

olive oil

2 tbls brown sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion in olive oil for 3 min or so. Add butternut squash and let cook until soft. Season with sugar and salt and pepper. When you taste this it should be slightly sweet. set aside

meat filling

4 lbs lean ground beef

olive oil

salt and pepper

brown meat, drain and season

set aside

step 4: cook pasta lasagna noodles or gluten free corn spaghetti

Cook your pasta according to directions and set aside.

step 5 : Prepare your lasagnas

Prepare a baking dish by rubbing it with olive oil. Spread a think layer of sauce on the bottom. Slice fresh mozzarella to use for top.

for the butternut squash lasagna we layered like this:

sauce

pasta

butternut squash

ricotta

spinach

pasta

sauce

top with sliced mozzarella and cracked pepper

for the meat lasagna we layered like this:

sauce

pasta

meat sauce

ricotta

pasta

sauce

top with sliced mozarella and cracked pepper

step 6: cook and enjoy (or freeze and enjoy later)

Cook in a 375 degree oven for 25 - 35 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and slightly brown. enjoy!