Quick squash lasagne
Prep time 15 mins
Cook 35 mins
6
“Pasta has my heart like nothing else,” says Anna Jones. “My love affair with it was cemented when making stuffed agnolotti, caramelle and everything, but it started with something simpler: my mum’s lasagne. This lasagne is something slightly different but still as nostalgic and comforting . It
is the quickest I’ve made, ready for the oven in 10 minutes (not the hour it normally takes), yet there is still a rich deep tomato sauce and those crisp, baked edges to fight over.
I don’t pre-cook my lasagne sheets as they cook in the sauce and I like them a little al dente. If you prefer them softer you could use fresh pasta sheets here.”
690g tomato passata
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
A good pinch of dried chilli flakes
400g canned green or Puy lentils, drained (or 250g
home-cooked)
1⁄2 a butternut squash (pumpkin; about 600g),
peeled and grated
50g black olives, pitted and chopped
2 tbsp capers
Finely grated zest of an unwaxed lemon A small bunch of basil, leaves picked
2 (125g each) balls of mozzarella (vegan optional)
250g dried lasagne sheets
1. Heat the oven to 200°C. In a large bowl or jug, mix the passata with the oil, half a teaspoon of flaky sea salt, the chopped garlic, chilli flakes, drained lentils, grated squash, chopped olives, capers and lemon zest. Tear the basil leaves in half.
2. Spoon a quarter of the sauce into an ovenproof dish roughly 20cm x 30cm (I use an oval roughly the same size), tear over a third of one of the balls of mozzarella, then cover with pasta sheets. Repeat for another
two layers: a quarter of the sauce, a third of a ball of mozzarella, a layer of pasta.
3. Finish with a final layer of sauce, then tear over the whole of the second ball of mozzarella, sprinkle with salt and pepper, top with the basil, and drizzle with a little more olive oil.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the mozzarella is deeply golden. Serve with a sharply dressed salad (I mix lemon juice, cider vinegar, mustard and extra-virgin olive oil, and toss through a bowl of green leaves).
