Butternut Squash Lasagne — a plant-based Italian recipe by BOSH!
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Butternut Squash Lasagne

This butternut squash lasagne is one of those dishes we genuinely get excited about making. There's something about layering up that silky squash with a rich, herby caponata and proper bechamel that just feels like a proper labour of love, and trust us, every minute is worth it. You get this incredible contrast of soft, sweet squash, tender aubergine, and those deep savoury flavours from the garlic and onion all wrapped up in pasta sheets. It's the kind of thing you want to put in the middle of the table when everyone's round and just watch people go quiet because they're too busy eating. Make this one tonight, you will not regret it.

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Serves 8

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 180°C (fan setting)
  • Lasagne dish
  • Large wide pan with lid
  • Medium-sized saucepan
  • Large saucepan
  • Stick blender
  • Whisk
  • Foil

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp chopped mixed Italian herbs of choice
  • 2 tbsp sultanas
  • 90g pitted olives
  • 2 x 400g cans x 400g can(s) of chopped tomatoes
  • 250ml vegetable stock
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 3 tbsp tomato purée
  • 2 tbsp capers
  • 1 butternut squash
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 aubergines
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes
  • 75g toasted pine nuts
  • 2 handfuls of fresh parsley
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 box of dried lasagne sheets
  • 75g plant-based butter
  • 2 red onions
  • 100g spinach
  • 375ml plant-based milk
  • 125ml plant-based cream
  • 2 ½ tbsp Nooch
  • side salad

Method

1

Prepare the veg

  • Finely chop the red onions
  • Mince the garlic
  • Chop the aubergines into bite-size chunks (around 4cm)
  • Rough chop your fresh mixed herbs, if using
  • Prepare your vegetable stock
2

Make the caponata

  • Warm the olive oil in the wide pan over medium heat
  • Fry the onions until translucent and softening, around 3 minutes
  • Add the minced garlic and stir until fragrant, around 1 minute
  • Add the vinegars, herbs, chilli flakes, capers, sultanas and olives, and stir everything together to mix
  • Add the tomato puree and vegetable stock, and stir well to combine so that everything in the pan is reddened
  • Add the chopped tomatoes, aubergines and mix again to combine
  • Put the lid on the pan and simmer the caponata for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally
  • After simmering, adjust your seasoning to taste 
3

Prepare the butternut squash for the béchamel

  • Boil a kettle
  • Peel and chop the butternut squash into bite-size chunks
  • Cook the squash pieces in a pan of boiling water until soft
  • Once cooked, drain the squash save for a small amount of residual water at the bottom
  • Blitz the squash with a stick blender until smooth 

While the squash cooks, make the rest of your béchamel

  • Heat your plant-based milk and cream in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, until the liquid starts to steam and bubble at the edges, then leave to cool slightly
  • In another larger saucepan, melt the plant-based butter over medium heat, then add the flour and beat well with a wooden spoon or spatula to form a paste
  • Lower the heat, then slowly add the milk/cream mixture in batches, beating constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk until you get a smooth paste with no floury lumps
  • Add the squash puree to the paste, again slowly in batches while beating well, until you get a smooth, creamy sauce
  • Gently boil for 2 minutes
  • Add the Nooch to the béchamel and stir to combine, then season to taste 
4

Preheat the oven, and prepare the spinach pine nut layer

  • Preheat your oven to 180˚C (fan setting)
  • Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan until lightly golden and fragrant
  • Rough chop the parsley 

Assemble the lasagne

  • Ladle half the caponata into a lasagne dish, and flatten it out into a thick, even layer across the whole dish
  • Add a layer of spinach and half the pine nuts
  • Add a double layer of lasagne sheets (for extra bite!)
  • Squash everything down and add another layer of caponata
  • Add another double layer of lasagne sheets
  • Pour the béchamel on top of the lasagne and smooth it out with a spoon
  • Sprinkle over the chopped parsley and remaining pine nuts
5

Cook the lasagne and serve

  • Cover the tray with foil and bake for 30 minutes
  • Remove foil and bake for a further 10 minutes, until everything is golden, bubbling and crisp on top
  • Portion and serve while hot, with some salad leaves on the side

Tips & Variations

  • Roast the squash first: We find that roasting the butternut squash before layering it in gives you much more flavour than just using it raw. A little caramelisation goes a long way here.
  • Salt your aubergine: If you've got a bit of extra time, salt your aubergine chunks and leave them for 20 minutes before cooking. It draws out the bitterness and helps them absorb the oil better when you fry them.
  • Make it your own: Henry always throws in a handful of toasted pine nuts between the layers for a bit of texture. Totally optional but really good.

Why This Works

The trick here is the caponata base. Taking the time to properly soften the onions and let the garlic go fragrant before adding the aubergine means you build up these deep, layered flavours that carry through the whole dish. The butternut squash brings this natural sweetness that balances everything out beautifully, so the whole thing tastes way more complex than you'd expect.