Lasagne with roasted Butternut Squash

Cut the squash into small cubes. Melt the butter in a pan, add the olive oil. Add the squash and onion stir through the butter and oil, cook over a medium heat with a lid on, turn the squash and onion now and then and cook until soft and lightly golden on the outside. Add the chopped sage and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and spoon into a large mixing bowl to cool down.

Drain the ricotta on kitchen paper for 5 minutes and trim the rind away from the taleggio and chop into small pieces.

Once the squash and onion are cooled, add the ricotta and taleggio followed by the parmesan, lemons zest and juice, nutmeg, sea salt, black pepper, pine nuts and then crumble in the amaretti biscuits. Mix everything together, mashing the squash slightly. Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning to please your palette.

Next, you will need a deep gratin, roasting or pie dish. Start the layering with some of the béchamel (keep plenty for the top, so use about 4 tablespoons) then 2 lasagne sheets, 1/3 of the butternut, 1/3 of the spinach, a little béchamel then 2 more lasagne sheets and so on. Finish with lasagne sheets and plenty of béchamel. Top with a good even sprinkle of Parmesan and pine nuts.

Bake at 190cc/180cfan/gas5 for 30-40 minutes until bubbling and golden.

Serves 6

Ingredients

Butternut filling

  • 25g butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 400g roasted butternut squash or pumpkin
  • 1 medium to large onion, finely chopped
  • 6 chopped sage leaves
  • 100g Ricotta
  • 100g taleggio
  • 40g Parmesan
  • Grated zest of a medium lemon + 2 tablespoons of juice
  • ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 teaspoons toasted pine nuts
  • 5 amaretti biscuits

The rest

  • 8 sheets cooked lasagne sheets
  • 300g spinach, wilted and drained well
  • 1 quantity béchamel sauce
  • 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan
  • 1 dessertspoon pine nuts