✦ RECIPE ✦ Butternut Squash Lasagne with Pine Nut & Pumpkin Spinach Salad

✦ SERVES 10 ✦

This dish is an all round heavy hitter - perfect to cook for big family dinners or busy work weeks where you need something prepped that’s  delicious and quick. It’s packed with healthy ingredients and tastes incredible even after being refrigerated and reheated.

Veggie takes on the classics were taught to me at university by my best friend Kia (thanks!) The beauty of this recipe is you can exchange the veggies in the filling for whatever you like. If there’s one or two here you don’t like, I recommend experimenting to see what works for you. A personal twist that I love, is using goats cheese for the crust with broccoli and asparagus in the filling - it’s really delish.

Comforting in all seasons - serve alongside with a leafy green salad in spring and summer, or a filling garlic bread in the autumn/winter.

For this recipe I’ve included my pumpkin linseed and pine nut side salad. I got all the ingredients at Aldi (not a brand plug but hey, sponsor me) and it was less than £15. That works out at 10 portions for £1.50 each, which is great for feeding a big family on a budget. This is also freezable: Freeze portions in a sealed container and consume within 2 months, being sure to defrost prior to reheating. Lasts for 4-5 days in the refrigerator.

 

 ✹ COOKING STUFF ✹

1 large cooking pot or wok

1 large lasagne tray

Chopping board

Cutting knife

Large spoon

Foil

 

✹ LASAGNE INGREDIENTS & PREP ✹

 1 x butternut squash (prepare by putting in an oven proof dish and baking until a knife easily goes through). 1 hour at 200c usually does the trick)

1 x bell pepper (deseeded and chopped)

6 x mushrooms (chopped into slices)

2tsp of chopped garlic (I like to use Aldi’s pre chopped tubes)

2tsp of chopped chilli (I use the pre chopped aldi tubes)

1 x onion (chopped), I like to use a red onion or two small shallots, depending on what I have in.

1 x small bag of grated mozzarella

2 x tins of chopped tomatoes with herbs

Large jar of white sauce

1 x box of lasagne sheets

Black pepper

Dried parsley

Salt

Mixed Italian herbs

Olive or coconut oil for cooking

Red wine (optional)

Balsamic vinegar (optional)

1 x egg (optional)

 

✹ SALAD INGREDIENTS ✹

Pine nuts

Linseed (I use a pumpkin and goji Berry one)

Baby spinach (Handful per serving)

Salt & pepper to taste

Ranch dressing (optional)

 

 

✦ DIRECTIONS ✦

1. Start by putting the squash into the oven for an hour, this will speed up peeling, deseeding and chopping later
2. Whilst the squash cooks, add oil to your pot and put on a high heat. Add all of your chopped veggies into the large sauce pan and frying until softened
3. Add your tinned tomatoes and stir together well before reducing the heat to low
4. Add four pinches of Italian herbs, salt, pepper and parsley. I like to add a (optional) table spoon of red wine and a tea spoon of balsamic vinegar to make the sauce more rich but it tastes great either way. Stir well and add the pot lid
5. Set a timer for an hour, come back occasionally to give the sauce a quick stir so it doesn’t stick
6. Turn the heat off the pot. I like to whisk an egg and stir it into the sauce to thicken, this gives the lasagne a firmer form making it easier to serve, however this is optional.
7. Next, take the squash out of the oven and using a clean oven mit or tea towel, move the squash onto a chopping board. Use the towel or mit to hold the squash at one end and be careful not to burn yourself. Using a knife, carefully cut the skin of the squash off, remove then cut it into slices. Be sure to remove any seeds in the bottom section of the flesh (if you’ve not cooked squash before here’s a step by step https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_peel_and_cut_a_butternut_squash/)
8. Add a layer of pasta sheets to your lasagne tray
9. Using a ladle or big cooking spoon, add a layer of your tomato and veggie sauce (half of the mix) on top of the sheets
10. Using half of your squash slices, layer them onto the sauce in the tray, pushing them down into the mixture as you go
11. Add a layer of pasta sheets
12. Add a layer of white sauce (half of your jar)
13. Repeat steps 9, 10, 11, 12
14. Finish your lasagne off with grated cheese sprinkled over the top (don’t be shy! You want a nice thick crust on top of the pasta)
15. Add a sprinkle of salt, pepper and parsley onto the cheese
16. Put foil on top of the tray and bake in the oven for 40 mins 200c, then remove the foil and bake for a further 20 mins

 

✦ TO SERVE ✦

Toss the spinach, linseed, pine nuts and seasoning (salt/pepper) together. Add to the plates and serve alongside your squash. I love a little bit of ranch dressing alongside this to give it an extra kick.

 

Enjoy!