Halloween lasagne recipe

This Halloween lasagne is a great warming dish perfect for a chilly October evening. This delicious veggie version of a pasta favourite is bright, colourful, and oh-so-cheesy. The dark green spinach against the vibrant orange squash and tomatoes make this Halloween lasagne so eye catching. You could enlist the help of the kids to create the butternut squash decorations to adorn the top, for extra Halloween panache.

Ingredients

• 2 butternut squash, peeled and cubed (make sure to reserve a few rounds for the decoration)
• 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
• 60g fresh basil, chopped
• 2tbsp olive oil
• 2 x 250g pack ricotta
• 2 free-range eggs

For the béchamel

• 100g butter
• 100g plain flour
• 750ml whole milk
• 200g finely grated Parmesan
• 400g spinach, washed and chopped
• 500g pack fresh lasagne sheets
• 50g finely grated Parmesan, to top

You will need

• A 25x30cm baking dish

Method

1. Heat the oven to 220C. Place the cubes of squash onto a baking tray, drizzle over the olive oil and roast for 30mins, until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and stir into the tomatoes, with the basil and 200ml water. Season and set aside.
2. To make the cheese sauce; melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. Add the flour and whisk to make a roux. Add the milk, little by little, whisking continuously, until smooth and you have a thick sauce. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in spinach and 200g Parmesan until spinach wilts. In a separate bowl, combine the ricotta and eggs and once the sauce in the pan is cool mix this in.
3. To assemble the lasagne, spread a third of the tomato and squash mixture over the base of the dish, then cover with a layer of lasagne sheets. Top this with a third of the béchamel, then repeat so you have three layers with béchamel on top. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.
4. Cut the reserved rounds of squash to resemble pumpkin shapes. Place on top of the lasagne and bake for 45 mins until golden on top.