My first night in my new apartment in Chicago was, as you might expect, a little bit strange. I had lived in my previous apartment just outside of New York City for two years and even though it never felt quite like home, I took comfort in my faded, plaid sofas and the hum of my upstairs neighbor’s washing machine over my bathroom.

I moved to Chicago the day after Thanksgiving, which followed a week full of packing, wrapping up loose ends and not a lot of sleeping. By the time I the truck was unloaded (thanks Dad!) I was about ready to collapse onto my naked box spring.

Instead, my dad, who played quite the instrumental role in moving me and my truck full o’stuff out to the Midwest, wanted us to go out to dinner with his old friend Mark and family.  He insisted I would love them and I did, despite initial fear that I wouldn’t make it past the first course before I nodded off into someone’s caprese salad.

As soon as we got to the restaurant, a cozy and charming Italian spot with the kitchen in the middle of the restaurant, I did regret the fact that I had even thought of resisting dinner due to fatigue. Walking past the open kitchen, you could smell the onions, the roasting garlic and I knew I would like this city. We ate warm, crackly-crusted Italian bread and drank wine while I ordered lasagne baked with herbed ricotta, pine nuts, fresh mozzarella and marinara sauce.

Lasagne is something I never, ever order in restaurants because a) few restaurants make it well and b) it’s so cheese-and-calorie laden that I don’t see the point in eating it if it isn’t really freaking good.

Since that meal, I haven’t had lasagne so when I decided to make it the other night I thought to lighten it up a little bit: add some roasted vegetables for taste, bulk and fiber and substitute part-skim cheese to cut down on some of the saturated fat. Don’t let the long ingredient list deter you. It’s time consuming (not so worknight friendly, unless you work from home) but each step is easy and requires minimal skill.

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

(Adapted from Martha Stewart)
Serves 6

Ingredients:

14 plum tomatoes (about 3 pounds total), halved lengthwise
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for baking dish
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and sliced inch thick
3 bunches (about 2 1/2 pounds total) spinach, trimmed and washed
1 container (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg
9 to 12 no-boil lasagna noodles (from a 9-ounce package)
1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into pieces

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss tomatoes with 2 tablespoons oil, oregano, and two-thirds the garlic; season with salt and pepper. Brush another rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon oil. Arrange squash in one layer; season with salt and pepper. Roast squash until tender, about 20 minutes, and tomatoes until slightly shriveled, about 40 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. In a blender, puree 20 tomato halves. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.

2. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add remaining garlic and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Gradually add 2 pounds spinach and toss until wilted, about 4 minutes. Transfer spinach to a strainer and press to release liquid. When cool, chop spinach and season with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, mix ricotta, cup Parmesan, egg, and nutmeg until smooth; season with salt and pepper.

3. Lightly oil a 9-inch square baking dish. Spread one-quarter the tomato sauce in dish, top with 3 to 4 noodles, breaking to fit as needed. Top with half the ricotta mixture, half the squash, one-quarter the tomato sauce, and 3 to 4 noodles. Top with remaining ricotta mixture, cooked spinach, one-quarter the sauce, and 3 to 4 noodles. Top with remaining sauce, 1/2 pound mozzarella, and cup Parmesan.

4. Set rack in middle of oven. Bake lasagna on a rimmed baking sheet until golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Let lasagna cool 15 minutes before serving.