Butternut Squash Lasagne

Lasagne is one of my absolute favourite foods, and when served with a bit of rocket and garlic bread, man that hits the spot! It's one of those dishes that would be my ideal date food although as of yet no boy has ever passed the realms of spag bol and bacon sarnies when attempting to cook for me. (Take that as a challenge, boys!) Sometimes however it gets difficult to think of ways to spice a lasagne up. Every lasagne starts to taste exactly the same regardless of whether you've just whipped it out of the oven or been served a giant dish of it in a cute gastro-pub. So, for an fresh take on lasagne try this butternut squash lasagne. It gives a twist to the traditional taste whilst being better for you than a standard lasagne dish. Win win!

Butternut Squash Lasagne

Ingredients (Serves 5)

• 500g pack of lean mince
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 medium courgette 
• 1 leek 
• 1/2 a butternut squash
• 2 tins of chopped tomatoes (or for low histamine, red pepper sauce made with 5 peppers- click here for link to the recipe)  
• 3 tsp italian mixed herbs (contains oregano, basil, thyme, parsley, sage and marjoram) 
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 1/2 balls of mozzarella 
• 55ml double cream 
• 125g mascarpone
• Salt and pepper, to season 

Method:

• Dice the leek, carrot and courgette and place into a frying pan. Add in the mince then cook on a medium heat until the meat browns and the vegetables start to get brighter in colour. Constantly stir as the meat and vegetables cook to ensure even cooking and that nothing burns. 
• Put the fried ingredients into a large saucepan and add the chopped tomatoes/ red pepper sauce along with all the herbs and the sugar. Add some salt and pepper to your taste in order to season the sauce. Cook for 15 minutes on a low heat. 
• Meanwhile slice the end of the butternut squash and peel the skin off. Slice into 1/2cm wide strips and steam for 10-15 minutes. The aim is for the butternut squash to soften but not too much. In order to steam, place an inch of boiling water into a pan on a medium heat with a steamer containing the butternut squash on top. Make sure to put a lid over the steamer. 
• Remove the mozzarella cheese from its packaging and slice into thin, wide chunks. 
• To make the lasagne layers: Add 1/3 of the mince sauce into the bottom of a deep oven dish until the bottom is fully covered and you have a fairly thick layer. Place a layer of the butternut squash chunks on top until the mince is fully covered then spread half the mascarpone over the butternut squash. To make the mascarpone easier to spread, heat in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Drizzle half of the cream into the gaps and over the butternut squash. 
• Repeat these steps to make one more layer. After this layer add the remaining mince sauce then on top of this place the slices of mozzarella on top. This layer should contain slightly less mince sauce than the other two. 
• Bake in the oven on 180 degrees celsius for 20 minutes.