Butternut Squash Lasagne

Not too tricky
Not too tricky
Not too tricky
Not too tricky
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Ingredients
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2817
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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.

Start cooking ➞

Serves

8

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
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