I made this great vegetarian dish last night. Its essentially vegetable lasagna without pasta.

Butternut squash and creamed spinach gratin

1 Large butternut squash, peeled, deseeded, and cut into 1/8 strips, lengthwise

3 lbs fresh spinach or 3 packs frozen spinach (I used the organic baby spinach)

olive oil

1 medium onion diced

3 cloves garlic

nutmeg to taste

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup half and half

lots of fresh grated asiago

wilt the spinach and squeeze out excess water

heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet

add garlic and onion and stir and cook over medium heat until translucent and cooked through

add spinach, nutmeg, salt and pepper and cream and mix together

butter and layer a 3 quart casserole with alternating layers of strips of squash, then spinach mix then cheese, starting and finishing with squash. layer on cheese on top and place in a 400 degree oven, with a foil covering for 30-40 minutes. Take off cover and let cook for another 20-30 minutes until tender and bubbly. Let sit for 5-7 minutes before serving.

This comes out beautifully and was extremely tasty. Suggestions for a bit of color by adding roasted red peppers were met enthusiastically by all who ate here last night. If one had the time, one could make a beautiful latticework lasagne with the strips of butternut squash and the spinach coming through underneath....hmmmm, I might just make this for Thanksgiving.

Other things at the table were: Homemade applesauce, a huge pork roast done up with rosemary and sea salt with little new potatoes and a rosemary white sauce made from drippings, white wine, and half and half.