Roasted Garlic & Squash Lasagna

Ingredients
For the sauce: 
3 heads garlic, tops cut off
olive oil
3 tsp. salt, plus a pinch, divided
2 lbs. butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 tsp. dried Italian herbs, like oregano, basil, parsley and marjoram
½ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
3/4 c. vegetarian stock, warmed
1-1/2 c. half and half, warmed
3 oz. mascarpone cheese or cream cheese
3 tbsp. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

For the lasagna: 
Olive oil
1-14 oz. pkg. Gimme Lean Veggie Protein, ground beef style
1 small onion, diced
1 tsp. dried Italian herbs, like oregano, basil, parsley and marjoram
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
2 tsp. fresh sage leaves, chopped
12 whole wheat lasagna noodles, cooked
4 c. fresh, baby spinach leaves
4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Drizzle a little olive oil over the 3 heads of garlic, and sprinkle a couple of pinches of salt over top; wrap each head of garlic tightly in foil, and place the heads directly onto the rack of the oven to roast. After 10 minutes, toss the butternut squash with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil, a teaspoon of the salt, and the black pepper and roast alongside the garlic for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the squash is very tender.

Once the squash is tender, remove from the oven, along with the heads of garlic, and allow the squash and garlic heads to cool slightly, so they can be handled; once slightly cooled, squeeze the cloves of garlic from the whole heads, and mash lightly with a fork (they should be very tender and sweet), and set aside. Next, use a food processor, immersion blender or Ninja to puree squash and garlic together.

In a saucepan, gently heat the squash puree. Add in the stock and the half and half, and carefully whisk to completely incorporate; next, add in the mascarpone cheese, the Parmesan and the remaining 3 teaspoons of salt, and once again stir/whisk to combine, until the mascarpone and Parmesan are blended in completely; remove the sauce from the heat and set aside until ready to use for the lasagna. (If making ahead, cool the sauce completely, and refrigerate until ready to assemble the lasagna, at which time you can gently reheat.)

Place a large, non-stick saute pan over medium-high heat, and add about 2 tablespoons worth of olive to the pan; once the oil gets hot, add the ground veggie protein into the pan, and break it up with a spatula or spoon. Add in the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook the protein for a few minutes until heated through and slightly browned. Remove from heat, and set aside to slightly cool.

To assemble the lasagna, begin by adding about a cup of the butternut squash sauce to the bottom of the baking dish. Add lasagna noodles to cover the sauce, and then more sauce over top of the noodles. Add about half of the veggie protein, followed by two cups of the baby spinach leaves. Drizzle lightly with  some olive oil and then sprinkle about a cup of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layering process and finish the lasagna by adding the remaining lasagna noodles and the remaining sauce over top. Smooth out the sauce over the noodles and finish by sprinkling the remaining mozzarella cheese over the top. Grind black pepper over the cheese and place the lasagna into the 350 degree oven to bake for roughly 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and lightly golden; serve while hot.


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