make | for your family: butternut squash lasagne

OK, so we're loving the squash family at the moment!  But - what can you do - it's Autumn and this is prime time for some squash lovin'.

They're full of beta-carotene which is great at getting rid of toxins in the body, and they're also high in Vitamin C (which is good news if you are suffering from the dreaded freshers' flu, or other Autumnal bugs).

We'd heard about how good Chipotle Chilli Paste is for Mexican recipes, and we thought we wanted to give it a try, so we went to the supermarket and picked up a jar for just over £1.  Chipotle Chillies are just smoke dried jalapeno chillies.  Once a jalapeno chilli has been on the bush for too long, they lost their moisture and their bright red colour.  At this stage, they're picked to be turned into Chipotle Chillies.  They're smoked in a closed chamber with a fire beneath it.  When they're finished they're all dried up like prunes, only they've got a smoky chilli flavour! The paste is really, really good, and is the secret to this vegetarian lasagne.  It brings out all the flavours beautifully, and, bizarrely, goes really well with the Italian flavours!

Lasagne can be heavy, but this version is filling, without being creamy.  We don't like white sauce all that much, so the ricotta topping is a great alternative.  It's a bit like the topping you put on a moussaka.  It goes lovely and crusty! Be sure to watch it in the oven - ours burnt a little bit on the top (but Emily likes the crispy bits, so she ate them!)  Cover it over once it's gone a lovely golden colour with a piece of foil.

Enjoy today!!

- rosinaviolets    x

Before baking!

Cover yours over once you've got it a good colour, if you don't like it super crispy!!

We served ours with veggies - you can choose whichever ones you like best

Butternut Squash Lasagne
Makes enough for 6 generous servings

1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1 tablespoon chopped sage
2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons (or more or less depending on your heat preference) Chipotle Chilli Paste
1kg butternut squash (or whichever squash you like best!), deseeded, skinned and cubed.
2 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
300ml vegetable stock
200g ricotta cheese
1 egg white
6 tablespoons milk
2 dessert spoons grated parmesan
Allow yourself 375g lasagne sheets, although you probably won't use this much.

• Steam fry the onion, garlic, sage, rosemary, paprika and Chipotle Chilli paste until the onions have softened.  

• Add the squash, tomatoes and stock.  Cover the pan tightly and simmer for 20 minutes, until the squash is just done.  

• In the meantime, you can make your moussaka style topping.  Beat together the egg white, ricotta and 1 dessert spoon of the parmesan.  Add lots of black pepper.  

• Preheat the oven to 190C. 

• Spoon 1/3 of the squash mixture into the bottom of a dish that's about 23cm x 30cm.  Cover with a single layer of pasta sheets.  Keep going until you have three layers of pasta.  

• Spread the ricotta mixture over the top.  Sprinkle it with the remaining dessert spoon of parmesan.  

• Sit the dish on a baking tray in the centre of the oven.  Cook for about 40 minutes.  Cover with foil as you get towards the end of the cooking time, once the top has gone a good colour.  Leave to sit for a few minutes before cutting up and serving with whatever vegetables you like best.