Butternut squash lasagna

You read right. I said lasagna.  Delicious, scrumptious and amazing lasagna.  I couldn't survive without my lasagna.  Not even on this diet.  But guess what?  I don't have to!!!

Zucchini!!  You can use zucchini as the noodles.  Cut the zucchini in 1/4 inch slices, lengthwise.  And yes!  Delicious!!!  I didn't even miss the noodles.  Not even my husband who thought it was divine.  In fact, as I look at the pictures I have below and type these words, I want to make it again.  *drool*

Let me tell you how to make my all-time favorite lasagna.  And if you must, you could also use oven-ready lasagna noodles instead.  :)

Marinara Sauce

First, always make your own marinara sauce.  Why buy it from a bottle?  Seriously.  I have two recipes I'll use.  But this week it was my Smoky Marinara - from Cooking Light.

Also, I cut the lasagna recipe in half but make all of the marinara because you can use it for other things.  :)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh or 2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 (28-ounce) can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained

Directions

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, basil, parsley, and oregano; sauté 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in vinegar and remaining ingredients. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.

Butternut Squash Lasagna

And now, for the main event!  With Me modifications.  What?  Originally picked up from Cooking Light as well.

Ingredients

Cooking spray
1.5 cups chopped onion
5 cup fresh spinach
1/2 cup shredded sharp provolone cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 large egg
1 (15-ounce) carton part-skim ricotta cheese
2 cups diced peeled butternut squash
3 cups Smoky Marinara
2 medium sized zucchini, cut in 1/4 inch slices, lengthwise.  You'll need 12 slices total.
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Heat a large Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add spinach; sauté 1 1/2 minutes or until spinach wilts. Combine provolone, parsley, basil, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, eggs, and ricotta cheese in a large bowl.
3. Sauté the squash in a skillet, in olive oil, until slightly browned and tender.  Approximately 15 minutes.
4. Coat the bottom and sides of an 8-inch-square baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup Smoky Marinara in the bottom of the prepared dish. Arrange 4 zucchini slices over sauce; spread half of the cheese mixture over the zucchini.  Arrange the squash over cheese mixture; spread 3/4 cup sauce over squash.
5. Arrange 4 zucchini slices over sauce; spread the rest of the cheese mixture over the zucchini.  Arrange the onion mixture over cheese mixture; spread 3/4 cup sauce over spinach mixture.
6. Arrange 4 zucchini slices over sauce; spread 1 cup Smoky Marinara evenly over zucchini. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan. Cover the pan with foil.
7. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes.

Then you'll have this!!!

And this after you let it sit for 10 minutes because you can't wait any longer!  

Meatloaf with Mushroom Gravy

I forgot to post this! All I did was took a pic and saved it as a post and left it at that. Crazy. It was so good. I hope I remember what I did. 

After some searching, I did find the meatloaf recipe I followed here: Paleo Meat Loaf 

I've never liked meatloaf with ketchup in it, so this worked great for me.  The thing that made me giggle with this recipe is it turned into a heap in the end - it didn't keep its form.  But I didn't mind at all.

I also didn't want the barbeque sauce on top (I couldn't find unsweetened), so I found a recipe for Salisbury Steak Burgers With Mushroom Gravy (which I MUST TRY!!!) and snagged the mushroom gravy portion.  Thickened with arrowroot powder it ended up a divine gift to my tongue and stomach. 

Wow, that was hard to remember.  I must post recipes immediately following!! 

I did make Me modifications.  Here you go!

Meatloaf with Mushroom Gravy

Meatloaf Ingredients

• 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
• 1 teaspoon sea salt (optional)
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup red cabbage chopped
• 2 Tbs skim milk
• 1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
• 1/3 cup almond meal
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef

Mushroom Gravy Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons fat of choice (I used butter)
• 3/4 cup beef broth
• 3 oz skim milk
• 1/2 yellow onion, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 (8 oz) package mushrooms, sliced
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Combine all ingredients except ground beef in a large bowl, and mix.
3. When well blended, add ground beef and combine together with a fork.  
4. Place mixture into a non-greased loaf pan or shape into a loaf on a non-greased baking pan.
5. Bake, uncovered, for 75-85 minutes, or until an internal temperature of 160° F is reached (or until there is no pink in the center).
6. Let stand for 5 minutes, then slice and serve with Mushroom Gravy on top.

To make Mushroom Gravy

1.  Add your fat, onions, and garlic to a saute pan over medium-high heat. Let the onions cook until they become translucent. Add the rest of your ingredients including the milk, broth, mushrooms and seasonings, except for the arrowroot powder.
2. Mix together and let cook down a bit.  Once the onions are beginning to soften, stir in the arrowroot powder, cover the pan and turn the heat down low to let cook, stirring occasionally.