Beautiful Rainbow Vegetarian Lasagna

Make the Marinara Sauce

  1. Slice 12 Roma tomatoes in half and drizzle with basil-infused olive oil. Roast them at 425 degrees until caramelized (about 45 minutes).
  2. Saute one chopped red onion 🌰 in 2 tablespoons of basil infused (or Tuscan herb 🌿 infused) olive oil in a pot until translucent. Add 2 tablespoons of garlic and saute for 2 minutes.
  3. Add roasted tomatoes, 2 cups of vegetable broth (or water), ½ cup of tomato 🍅 paste, 1 tablespoon of salt 🧂 and 1 tablespoon of sugar to the pot and cook over medium heat until thickened.
  4. Puree the sauce in the food processor until smooth.
  5. Add ½ cup chopped fresh basil.

Make the Butternut Squash Layer

  1. Cut 1 large butternut squash in half (watch video 📹), scoop out the seeds, and drizzle with basil-infused olive oil. Roast flesh side down at 425 degrees until tender and flesh are caramelized.
  2. Scoop out butternut squash flesh and puree in the food processor with ½ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream

Make the Spinach and Ricotta Layer

  1. Saute 4 cups of fresh spinach and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic in 3 tablespoons of basil-infused olive oil until just wilted.
  2. Mix spinach with 2 ½ cups ricotta cheese. Add ½ teaspoon of nutmeg and 2 teaspoons of salt and mix.

Build Your Lasagna

  1. Cover the bottom of a pyrex baking dish with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
  2. Ladle marinara on the bottom of the baking dish.
  3. Put whole wheat lasagna noodles in baking dish to cover the sauce.
  4. Top noodles with butternut squash puree and sprinkle parmesan on top.
  5. Cover puree with another layer of lasagna noodles.
  6. Top noodle layer with ricotta mixture.
  7. Add another layer of lasagna noodles.
  8. Top layer with marinara, more parmesan and about ½ pound (8 ounces) of freshly grated mozzarella cheese 🧀..
  9. Bake in the oven at 425 degrees until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown.
  10. Let lasagna set for 15-20 minutes before slicing.