Squash Lasagna

Okay before you turn up your nose... it's spaghetti squash in place of noodles. Sort of. I just baked this off in the oven and it's so dagg-on tasty that I had to blog about it straight away (while I try not to eat it all right here and now)! So here goes..

Here's another light, cheap, healthy meal. This one tastes like those heavy italian casseroles that we all love but it's not heavy or hard on the waistline. And I mentioned cheap, right?!

And as per usual, it freezes beautifully.

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna - Serves 8

Ingredients (by layer):

Squash layer:

• Spaghetti squash, roasted and scooped out
• 1 tbsp each, fresh basil, oregano and thyme and/or 2 tbsp pesto sauce (use whatever combo you want)
• salt and pepper

Sauce layer:

• 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp each garlic powder and onion powder
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• salt and pepper

Cheese layer:

• 1 500ml tub of 1% cottage cheese
• 1 cups finely shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan

Topping:

• 1 cup finely shredded part skim mozza
• 1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan

Instructions:

1. Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, sprinkle the inside with olive oil and place cut side down on a baking sheet coated in olive oil.
2. Roast the squash in a 375/190 degree oven for about 45 minutes until you can easily poke the skin with a fork. Let cool and then scoop out the strands.
3. Mix each layer in it's own bowl
4. Spray your casserole with cooking spray.
5. Start with a thin layer of squash, followed by a thin layer of sauce and all of the cheese layer mix. Top with the rest of the squash and then the rest of the sauce. Top with the topping layer.
6. Bake for 25 - 35 minutes and pull out of the oven if you want to freeze it. Otherwise, finish cooking until golden, about 45 minutes total.

Remember, if you want to make a couple of homemade frozen meals out of this recipe, use smaller serving size casseroles. They cool down quicker, freeze quicker, defrost quicker and reheat quicker! Pull them out of the oven before they brown but just as they start to bubble. Cool down completely and freeze.

Both tomato paste and pesto are now readily available in most grocery stores. It's a much easier way to use both. How many times have you had a recipe call for a tbsp or so of tomato paste and only had the small can on hand. What do you do with the rest?! The tubes are so convenient.

Bon appetit!