Lasagna’s one of my favorite meals. Not just because it tastes so good, but because of my favorite secret: you don’t have to measure.

It may be a surprise how much lasagna you end up with, but any time I don’t have to be bothered to pull out (and wash) the measuring cups, I’m game.

Tonight: butternut squash lasagna.

noodles, squash, and basil

1. Peel & cube a butternut squash.

It can be kind of hard to cut, so if you can, enlist help for the hard work and move on. Winking smile

When it’s cut, put it in a covered bowl and microwave for 5-10 minutes (depending how much you have) to give it a jump start on softening up.

chopping butternut squash

2. Whip up (or open) your favorite tomato sauce.

The sauce of the night: 1 huge can of crushed tomatoes + 1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, with fresh chopped basil & other spices.

easy basil tomato sauce

3. Lightly sauté any other vegetables you want to use. I like to use onions, spinach, and garlic. I planned on using mushrooms but they got moldy. No moldy fungus in my dinner, please.

4. Start layering! It really doesn’t matter what order you go in. I like to start with sauce on the bottom, then noodles, then whatever I pick up next. Winking smile

layering lasagna noodles

The twist of the night: butternut squash.

butternut squash cubes

5. Add in the cheesy goodness. It’s the part that makes the lasagna so darn good.

Since it’s so easy to do with lasagna, I made two versions. Version one: regular. Version two: vegan.

The basic combo is: ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, pepper, and basil. For the vegan version, I just sub in cashew ricotta (soaked cashews, lemon juice, & nutritional yeast) and Daiya mozz.

vegan version of lasagna

On second thought, it might be easier to spread the cheese mixture on the noodle layer.

(And no, it doesn’t matter whether you cook the noodles or not, no matter what kind you have. I do it both ways, but unless the top layer’s smothered in sauce & cheese, I prefer to boil them first. I didn’t this time.)

ricotta cheese

I ran out of cheese…..oops. [Bake at 375: 30 minutes covered in foil, 20 minutes uncovered.]

baked lasagna

Still yummy!

butternut squash lasagna

While this was a fun change to traditional lasagna, I think I prefer my butternut in soup. Smile