I decided to give an unconventional gift for a friend’s birthday this year. Instead of the usual card or little treat or some tea, I decided to give her the gift of time.
My friend balances a demanding job, a young family, and still creates her own work. Understandably, something has to give. I made her a few dinners over the summer when N was working long hours and I wanted to still cook for someone. I remember her telling how much of a help having that meal already made was for her day, so what better gift to give someone on their birthday but some time and a really nourishing meal.
For the past few months I’ve been trying to cook more from my pantry and cut down on wasting food (and money). I had a very full box of no-boil lasagna noodles sitting in my pantry and I knew that was the perfect occasion to use them. Lasagna is a comforting meal to give anyone, and for my friend and her small table, they can have left overs for lunch or another meal. Win win!
For years, I’ve made Everybody Likes Sandwiches’s spinach and zucchini lasagna. To make something more seasonal, I went with some swiss chard and some butternut squash. I was worried that the butternut squash would be a little too sweet, but by adding in some heat and having it right next to the cheese layer, the sweetness mellowed out and played perfectly with the other flavors of the lasagna.
I made my own puree for this recipe, but if you’re short on time (and sometimes you just are), you can easily swap the homemade puree with a can of organic puree. You can find those in the baking aisle near the canned pumpkin. You could also quickly cook some frozen, organic butternut squash and blend them up from there. Do what works for your schedule.
Swiss chard is also a great addition in this lasagna. I can never have too many greens, and the lasagna was a great place to use as much of the swiss chard as I could. A lot of the time, most recipes just call for the leaves and don’t do anything with the stems, which is a crime. Sautéed Swiss chard stems are delicious, add a nice texture to a dish, and are filled with healthy phytonutrients. The sauce uses a handful of the chard stems, and if you want, you can take the rest of them and use them to make the Chard and Walnut Pesto from Food Gift Love. This time, I made the pesto without the cheese because I knew this meal was going to have it’s fair share of cheese.
If you’re the one that’s short on time, you can also easily double this recipe and cook these in aluminum 8x8s and make one for now and one to freeze for later. If you’re going to freeze one, prepare the lasagna and don’t cook it. Freeze it first, then cook it when you’re ready to enjoy it. You’ll need to cook it for longer with the foil on about and hour and a half, then remove the foil and cook for an additional 20-30 minutes until the top is bubbly and everything is heated through.
Ingredients
- 1 leek, diced
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 4-5 swiss chard stalks, diced
- olive oil
- 1 15oz can of diced tomatoes, preferably organic
- 1 7 oz can of tomato sauce, preferably organic
- 2-3 tsp oregano
- 2-3 tsp dried basil
- 2 tsp paprika
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 bunch of Swiss chard, stems set aside for tomato sauce, leaves cut into thin strips
- 4-8 oz chard and walnut pesto (optional)
- olive oil
- 1 medium sized butternut squash, peeled and cubed
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1-2 tsp chipotle (optional and to your taste)
- salt to taste
- olive oil, for roasting
- 1 16oz tub of full-fat cottage cheese, preferably organic
- 2-3 tsp oregano
- 8 no-boil lasagna noodles
- Kerrygold Dubliner cheddar cheese for topping, amount to your preference
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425.
Arrange cubed butternut squash on a foil-lined baking tray. Drizzle olive oil, salt, paprika, and chipotle over the squash. Roast for 30-35 minutes or until very fork tender.
Lower oven temperature to 400.
While the squash is roasting, heat 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Once hot, add in swiss chard and cook down until wilted, about 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently. Place chard in a bowl and set aside. Rinse out pan.
Heat 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil in clean sauté pan and add garlic, leeks, and swiss chard stems. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until all aromatics are soft. Add in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and spices. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then bring down to simmer and cook down for 10 minutes.
With an immersion blender in a bowl or in a blender, puree the roasted butternut squash and garlic. Add more paprika, salt, or pepper to your taste.
Stir oregano into cottage cheese, still in the tub.
Grab a 8x8 baking dish (glass or ceramic will work well) and pour a layer of sauce on the bottom. Add two noodles over top, then add the wilted Swiss Chard. If you want more Swiss Chard (and to use up the rest of the stems from your bunch), add in a layer of chard and walnut pesto. Top with two noodles. Add cottage cheese mixture and top with noodles. Add a layer of sauce, the butternut squash puree, then top with 2 more noodles. Add a finally layer of sauce and top with grated cheese.
Loosely cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes until top is golden brown. Let the lasagna cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Adapted and inspired by Everybody Likes Sandwiches
You can easily swap out buying and roasting a butternut squash for a can of organic butternut squash puree. They're usually hiding in the baking aisle with canned pumpkin.
Looks delicious!! Last year I made a swiss chard lasagna but love the addition of adding in butternut squash. I love making small 8×8 pans of lasagna (anything larger is too much for my small family) and making a lasagna for someone else? Aces!
Thank you Jeannette! And thanks for creating my go-to lasagna 🙂