SIMPLE LASAGNE RECIPES

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/gas mark 6. Put half the oil in a large bowl and add the courgettes, aubergine and peppers. Season and toss the vegetables to coat in the oil. Transfer to a large roasting tin and roast for 30 minutes until tender, turning once.

Meanwhile, heat the rest of the olive oil in a large deep saucepan and fry the onion and garlic over a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until very soft but not brown. Add the chopped tomatoes and 200ml water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened.

Stir the spinach into the hot tomato sauce until just wilted. Remove from the heat and add the roasted vegetables and beans. Season to taste. Reserve half the mixture for later use, or freeze. Reduce the oven temperature to 180ºC/gas mark 4.

To assemble, spread one-quarter of the white lasagne sauce in the base of a 2-litre ovenproof dish. Top with a single layer of lasagne sheets, cutting them to fit if necessary. Spoon over half the vegetable sauce, followed by another quarter of the white sauce. Repeat the layers of lasagne sheets, vegetable sauce and white sauce once more, then top with a final layer of lasagne sheets.

Spread the remaining white sauce over the top of the lasagne sheets. Sprinkle the cheese over the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden and bubbling.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the diced onions for 5 minutes until softened. Add the pork mince and fry for a further 5 minutes, until browned all over.  Stir in the mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened.

Pour ¾ of the tomato and mascarpone sauce into the frying pan, followed by the tin of chopped tomatoes and sage. Simmer for 5-6 minutes, until slightly thickened. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Mix well to ensure it is covered with sauce.

Begin to layer the lasagne in an ovenproof baking dish. Start with a layer of the pork mixture then cover with a layer of butternut squash lasagne sheets. Repeat this until the mix is used up, ensuring the butternut squash is the final layer.

Top with the remaining tomato and mascarpone sauce and a generous topping of parmesan cheese. Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes until a golden brown crust has formed. Take out of the oven and allow to sit loosely covered with foil for 15 minutes. Serve alongside the salad leaves.

1. Preheat the oven to 230°C fan.

2. Put the chestnut and oyster mushrooms into the large bowl of a food processor in three or four batches and pulse each batch until finely chopped (or finely chop everything by hand). Toss the chopped mushrooms in a large bowl with 3 tablespoons of oil and 1 teaspoon of salt and spread out on a large, 40cm x 35cm parchment-lined, rimmed baking tray. Bake for 30 minutes near the top of the oven, stirring three times throughout, until the mushrooms are golden-brown; they will have reduced in volume significantly. Set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 200°C fan.

3. Meanwhile, combine the dried mushrooms, chillies and hot stock in a large bowl and set aside to soak for half an hour. Strain the liquid into another bowl, squeezing as much liquid from the mushrooms as possible to get about 340ml: if you have any less, top up with water. Very roughly chop the rehydrated mushrooms (you want some chunks) and finely chop the chillies. Set the stock and mushrooms aside separately.

4. Put the onion, garlic and carrot into the food processor and pulse until finely chopped (or finely chop everything by hand). Heat 60ml of oil in a large sauté pan or pot on a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion mixture and fry for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden. Pulse the tomatoes in the food processor until finely chopped (or finely chop by hand), then add to the pan along with the tomato paste, 1½ teaspoons of salt and 1¾ teaspoons of freshly cracked black pepper. Cook for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the rehydrated mushrooms and chillies and the roasted mushrooms and cook for 9 minutes, resisting the urge to stir: you want the mushrooms to be slightly crisp and browned on the bottom. Stir in the reserved stock and 800ml of water and, once simmering, reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until you get the consistency of a ragù. Stir in 100ml of the cream and simmer for another 2 minutes, then remove from the heat.

5. Combine both cheeses and both herbs in a small bowl. To assemble the lasagne, spread one-fifth of the sauce in the bottom of a round 28cm baking dish (or a 30cm x 20cm rectangular dish), then top with a fifth of the cheese mixture, followed by a layer of lasagne sheets, broken to fit where necessary. Repeat these layers three more times in that order, and finish with a final layer of sauce and cheese: that’s five layers of sauce and cheese and four layers of pasta.

6. Drizzle over 1 tablespoon of cream and 1 tablespoon of oil, then cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil, increase the temperature to 220°C fan and bake for another 12 minutes, turning the dish round halfway. Turn the oven to the grill setting and grill for a final 2 minutes, until the edges are brown and crisp. Set aside to cool for 5 or so minutes, then drizzle over the remaining tablespoon of cream and oil. Sprinkle over the remaining parsley, finish with a good grind of pepper and serve.