The Secret to a Lighter, Brighter Lasagna? Summer Squash

Chef Jennifer Caraway is no stranger to crafting meals that strike a balance between satisfying and stunning. She's the founder of The Joy Bus Diner, a fully nonprofit restaurant that brings hearty, chef-inspired meals and uplifting encouragement to people with cancer in and around Phoenix. Founded in 2011, the Joy Bus was named in honor of Caraway's good friend Joy, whom she lost to ovarian cancer.

Caraway — and the diner — once received a bounty of summer squash, resulting in a simple yet genius approach to rich Italian comfort food. "I set out to create a savory, satisfying, and wholesome lasagna that radiated with the summer hues of bright yellows, deep greens, and orange," she writes in The Joy Bus Cookbook: Meals That Matter.

Here, instead of pasta sheets, you'll build the dish with slices of blanched squash: "By thinly slicing the colorful squash with a mandoline (use a guard!!!), the final dish transforms into a true flavorful work of art." And did we mention that this warm, cheesy meal is totally vegetarian?

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Mandoline Slicer

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Summer Squash Lasagna Recipe

Serves 6–8

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Ingredients

• 20 yellow and green summer squash, thinly sliced using a mandoline
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small white onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 (28-oz) can Bianco DiNapoli crushed tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 Tbsp butter (divided)
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• ¼ cup cognac
• 1 lb portobello mushrooms, sliced
• 8 oz Parmesan, shaved (divided)
• Bunch of parsley, chopped
• 1 lb ricotta
• 2 eggs
• Salt and black pepper
• 8 leaves basil, for garnish

Instructions

1. Bring a stockpot of water to a boil.
2. Fill a large bowl with ice water and add a dash of salt. Add squash slices to boiling water and cook for 1 minute, just long enough to make the squash pliable. Immediately transfer squash to the ice bath.
3. Heat oil in a stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté for 7 minutes, until onions are softened and translucent. Add tomatoes, salt and oregano. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add 1 tablespoon of butter, then remove from the heat.
4. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté for 4 minutes, until translucent. Add cognac and cook for 2 minutes, until the alcohol burns off. Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt and cook for 3 minutes, until slightly softened. Transfer mushrooms to a paper towel–lined plate to drain.
5. In a bowl, combine three-quarters of the Parmesan with parsley, ricotta and eggs. Season generously with salt and pepper.
6. Preheat oven to 350°F.
7. Ladle a couple scoops of sauce into the bottom of a lasagna pan. Arrange a layer of squash noodles, then cheese mixture, mushrooms and sauce, alternating layers to the top. Finish with a healthy layer of sauce. Scatter the top with the remaining Parmesan.
8. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil, then bake for another 10 minutes. Set aside for 15 minutes. Cut into slices, then garnish with basil. Serve hot.

Excerpted from The Joy Bus Cookbook: Meals That Matter © 2025 by Jennifer Caraway. Reproduced with the permission of Figure 1 Publishing.