Food Network Throwdown / Part II: Giada’s Butternut Squash Lasagna Gets a Healthy Makeover

by The Meal Makeover Moms on May 16th, 2011

In Part I of our Food Network Throwdown, we gave the Neely’s Whoopie Pies a healthy makeover. Today, for Part II of our series, we take on Giada De Laurentiis and her rich and luscious recipe for Butternut Squash Lasagna. Thanks to our interns, Cristine and Ashley, our Throwdown mission was a smashing success. Our “rescued” recipe for Sweet Apple & Squash Lasagna is, as Liz’s boys like to say, “mad good.” It’s surprisingly easy to make (we streamlined the original recipe quite a bit), incredibly kid friendly — we suspect many of you will be adding this recipe to your meal planning rotation, and packed with good nutrition.

Butternut Squash Throwdown Mission:
- Replace the 1/4 cup butter and whole milk in the roux with something lower in saturated fat
- Simplify the recipe so it takes less time (the original calls for peeling, seeding, cubing, steaming, and pureeing butternut squash)
- Substitute the crumbled amaretti cookies used in the squash filling with something that’s naturally sweet

Throwdown Makeover Magic:
- We used basil pesto, evoo, and 1% low-fat milk for our roux. We also switched to part-skim mozzarella
- We relied on frozen butternut squash for convenience and ease
- We added a thinly sliced, peeled apple for a sweet addition to the filling

We used a Macintosh apple, but any sweet apple would work well in this recipe.

Sweet Apple & Squash Lasagna

Makes 8 Servings

We’ve never made a roux with basil pesto before, but wow, it really worked out great. The pesto added a big burst of flavor to the lasagna, and we loved the convenience. If you grow basil in your garden this summer, make plenty of pesto (you can freeze it in ice cube trays) so you’ll have leftovers for this recipe!

  • 1/4 cup basil pesto
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups 1% low-fat milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • Pinch ground nutmeg
  • 12 no-boil lasagna noodles (one 8-ounce box)
  • One 12-ounce box frozen cooked pureed winter squash, thawed, placed in a bowl and seasoned with salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste
  • 1 medium apple, quartered, peeled, and very thinly sliced
  • 2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (8 ounces)
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the pesto and olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and stir to combine. Add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Whisk the milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg slowly into the flour mixture. Raise the heat and bring to a low boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat, simmer, and stir until the mixture thickens, about 3 minutes.

2. Lightly oil or coat a 9 x 13-inch baking dish or pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the prepared dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles evenly on top of the sauce. Spread 1/3 of the winter squash and 1/3 of the sliced apples over the noodles. Top with 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 3/4 cup sauce.

3. Repeat layering two more times. Top with the remaining 3 noodles and the remaining 1 cup sauce. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan cheese evenly over the lasagna. Return to the oven and continue to bake, uncovered, until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, 15 more minutes. Cool about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Nutrition Information per Serving: 380 calories, 15g fat (5g saturated), 410mg sodium, 43g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 18g protein, 40% calcium, 10% vitamin C, 10% iron

Print Recipe

Before the Throwdown….
Calories = 450
Total Fat = 22 grams
Saturated Fat = 11 grams

After the Throwdown …
Calories = 380
Total Fat = 15 grams
Saturated Fat = 5 grams

Let us know if you try this dish. It’s really amazing (if we do say so ourselves)!! It’s also ideal for Meatless Monday … which is why we posted it today. :)

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8 Comments | Filed Under CulinaryAdventures, Dinner, Fruits, Pasta, RecipeRescue, Vegetables, Vegetarian 

8 Responses to “Food Network Throwdown / Part II: Giada’s Butternut Squash Lasagna Gets a Healthy Makeover”

  1. Peggy C. on May 16th, 2011

    Now if only we could find something healthy to replace the noodles with! :)

  2. Gwen @SimplyHealthyFamily on May 19th, 2011

    Ohhhh, this does look wonderful. I ‘m putting it on my menu for next week. So excited to try it. Thanks for sharing, and thanks so much for including me in your blog roll I was very excited to see Simply Healthy Family listed there as I’ve always loved this site.

  3. Jeanette on May 22nd, 2011

    Liz, it was so nice meeting you at BlogHer Food in Atlanta. I love how you and Janice lighten up kid friendly meals without sacrificing flavor and appeal! What a great idea, using frozen pre-cooked winter squash as a shortcut.

  4. Menu Plan Monday–July 25 | Dunaway Dietetics on July 25th, 2011

    [...] Sweet Apple & Squash Lasagna with Spinach [...]

  5. Menu Plan Monday–August 1 | Dunaway Dietetics on August 1st, 2011

    [...] Sunday: Sweet Apple & Squash Lasagna with Spinach Salad [...]

  6. Ann Dunaway Teh on August 8th, 2011

    This was delicious! My 2 1/2 year old gobbled it up. Thank you!

  7. Menu Plan Monday–August 15 | Dunaway Dietetics on August 15th, 2011

    [...] failed to mention last week that the Sweet Apple & Squash Lasagna from the other week was outstanding. I can see this being a regular menu item for the fall. Even my [...]

  8. Recipe of the Week: Apple & Squash Lasagna on October 28th, 2011

    [...] FYI: Giada’s recipe has 450 calories, 22 grams fat, and 11 grams saturated fat per serving. You can read all the gooey details about our makeover by visiting our blog. [...]

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