Vegetable Lasagne,We’re spreading the love for vegetarians!

It is an unfortunately ubiquitous belief amongst non-vegetarian cooks that vegetables are an accompaniment to a meal rather than a meal in themselves. This means that meatless dishes can often go catastrophically wrong.

Vegetable lasagne is one of the most standard dishes there is and yet it is so very rarely done well. The problem is that cooks tend to make up for the absence of meat by adding as many vegetables as they can find. This results in a messy, cramped meal with far too many flavours mingling together. On many occasions I have ordered a vegetable lasagne in restaurants, awaited it with much excitement, only to be disappointed when what arrives is a soggy mixture of tiny quantities of aubergine, courgette, carrot, onion, pepper, tomato, fennel and squash. No vegetable is present in sufficient abundance to make an impact. From a vegetarian perspective it must be something akin to a cook making lasagne with small portions of lamb, beef, pork and chicken. Here, I’ll show you how to transform your cramped vegetable lasagne into a thing of simple beauty.

To make this well, you need to be picky about which vegetables you want to use. I would recommend a maximum of three; any more and you risk having such a mix of flavours that the lasagne doesn’t actually taste of anything at all.

This is a recipe for a simple lasagne with two vegetables: spinach and butternut squash. Don’t go thinking that these are randomly selected, some thought must go into considering which flavours work well together. Squash and sage are fantastic together, giving a sweet, warming sensation. On the other hand, spinach and mascarpone complement each other sublimely to give a sharp, almost metallic feel. Combined, the flavours give a very full flavour, and being only four in number, all the flavours are distinguishable. If you wish, you could replace the squash with a pumpkin or other member of the squash family, apart from courgettes since they are too weakly flavoured. You could also use ricotta (or any other very creamy and mild cheese) instead of mascarpone. Frozen spinach is fine for this, though fresh spinach has the advantage of a new texture to add to the mix. I would also recommend getting hold of some Lasagne Verdi (Green Lasagne) which is aptly coloured with spinach (priced the same as normal lasagne in Sainsbury’s). This adds an interesting visual touch and will surprise anyone who has never seen it before.

When it comes to adding seasonings, I have not included quantities since this is very much down to personal preference. Use common sense. To phrase it unnecessarily complicatedly, add enough pepper so that you can taste the pepper but not so much that it tastes of it. This recipe makes enough for about 6 people (or 4 hungry people).

Ingredients

125g Lasagne (about 6 sheets)

450g Spinach

450g Mascarpone

450g Butternut Squash

2 eggs

175g grated Cheddar (or Edam)

Some Butter

Seasonings: Pepper, Sage, Thyme

– Set the oven to 180°C (gas mark 4). Chop the squash into cubes of ~2cm, then steam in a sieve over boiling water until soft enough to eat (about 15 mins).

– Melt the butter in a frying pan, then add about 1 tbsp sage and mix briefly before adding the squash cubes. Fry until the cubes are coated in butter and sage (about 5 minutes). Set aside to cool.

– If using fresh spinach, wash it under a tap, then, without drying the leaves, place in a covered saucepan on a medium heat for 7-10 minutes or until tender. Don’t add water. Then drain and leave to cool. (If using frozen spinach, heat in a pan until no ice remains).

– Mix the mascarpone in a large bowl with the eggs, thyme and pepper.

– Layer half the spinach on the bottom of the baking dish, followed by half the squash and half the mascarpone mixture, then layer half the spinach. Repeat. Spread a small quantity of mascarpone mixture onto the top layer of lasagne so it is entirely, thinly, covered. Grate the cheddar on top of this.

– Bake for ~35 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown. Be careful to not let the cheese burn. Serve immediately.