Summer Squash just in time for Fall

As I promised, this week's recipe was amazing since I had my friend Kelsey here to help me.  Per usual, we hit up the Saturday morning farmer's market to find some color for our palettes and then began to brainstorm something delicious.  Before a certain vegetable popped up, we had a particular craving for an Italian meal which prompted this week's recipe choice: Summer Squash Lasagna. 

Summer squash is a great vegetable to put on the table as it boasts two cartenoid family members lutein and zeaxanthin. Both have been getting serious research lately on their attention for their ability to protect eyes. Soon I'll be cooking lots of meals with summer squash's counterpart: winter squash. Squashes in general are high in water and fiber content. The water helps keep us hydrated on these hot indian summer days. High fiber diets are associated with innumerable health benefits which is why I'm always keen on incorporating the high fiber vegetables in my meals.

Once Kelsey and I decided on the genre and recipe, we decided to add a bit of a twist to a traditional lasagna. Instead of using noodles, we planned on using strips of the summer squash and because I was trying to give Kelsey the "ultimate Colorado experience" I insisted that the meat be buffalo. Yum.  So the gathering of ingredients began...

We found the summer squash at this little stand at the farmer's market:

I"ve never tried this variety before but it was promised to taste like zucchini so I figured I'd take the risk.
Then we hit whole foods and grabbed
-2 fresh tomatoes
-fresh oregano
-small onion
- 12 ounces of ground buffalo (optional)
- 2 cans of tomato sauce ( I like Muir Glen)
- 2 summer squash
-1 cup ricotta
-basil

We returned from the store at 5:15 and had dinner on the table at 6:30. Impressive huh?

Here's what took place...

1. Make sauce:
- saute onion in a little bit of olive oil and salt until onion is tender
-add meat and continue to cook until browned (3-4 minutes)
-add tomatoes and sauce then reduce heat to simmer until thick (20 min)
-stir in oregano and salt to taste

2. Make Lasagna
- preheat oven to 375°
- slice squash thinly lengthwise
-place strips at bottom of dish
-top that layer with sauce and dot with a basil leaf and ricotta
-continue until 3 layers have been made
-at this point it should look like this:

-cover up the 3rd layer with strips of squash and then season the top with salt, pepper and some mozarella cheese if you have it on hand.

- bake uncovered until the top browns (50-60 min)

Here's what our final product looked like...

Since Kelsey and I were on such a time crunch we turned the heat up to keep the time down but I wouldn't suggest it. I tend to be far to optimistic with time and think that I'm wonder woman in the kitchen. Needless to say I get proven otherwise frequently. 

I have to say this meal was a hit with everyone and if I were cooking it only for myself I'd love to have more throughout the week for leftovers. I'm sure the flavors would have melded together even more wonderfully but I never got the chance to try it out because we ate the whole thing.