Butternut Squash Lasagne
Chock full of nutritious veggies, and a brilliant family or freezer-friendly meal when you need to feed a crowd. We’ve switched up the traditional meaty ragu for a lighter caponata-based sauce, a delicious sweet and sour tomato and aubergine based stew from Sicily. The real star of the show though is the velvety sweet butternut béchamel - a comforting classic with a really lovely twist.
Serves
Ingredients
For the caponata
<item-todo-done>3 tbsp olive oil<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 tbsp chopped mixed Italian herbs of choice<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 tbsp sultanas<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>90g pitted olives<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 x 400g cans x 400g can(s) of chopped tomatoes<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>250ml vegetable stock<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 garlic cloves<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>3 tbsp tomato purée<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 tbsp capers<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 butternut squash<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 tbsp balsamic vinegar<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 aubergines<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 tbsp red wine vinegar<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 tsp chilli flakes<item-todo-done>
For the spinach pine nut layer
<item-todo-done>75g toasted pine nuts<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 handfuls of fresh parsley<item-todo-done><item-todo-done> pinch of salt<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 box of dried lasagne sheets<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>75g plant-based butter<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 red onions<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>100g spinach<item-todo-done>
For the butternut béchamel sauce
<item-todo-done>375ml plant-based milk<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>125ml plant-based cream<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 ½ tbsp Nooch<item-todo-done>
To serve
<item-todo-done> side salad<item-todo-done>
Before you start
Large casserole pot/wide pan with a lid | Lasagne/large roasting dish | Boiled kettle | Small frying pan | Heatproof bowl | 2x medium - large sized saucepans | Stick blender | Foil | Colander or sieve
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
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
**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
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
**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