Ingredients

• 1 kg butternut squashcubed
• 250 g spinach
• 500 g ricottawhole-milk, which is worth buying
• 250 g mozzarella
• 70 g Parmesan
• 12 dried lasagne sheetsabout 250 g
• 500 ml bechamel
• 50 g butter
• 12 sage leaves
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 1/2 tsp fine salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. 01

   Roast the squash

   Heat the oven to 210 C / 190 C fan. Roast the cubed squash with a little oil and seasoning for 30-35 minutes until dark at the edges and completely tender. Mash half of it roughly and leave the rest in pieces. You want both a spreadable layer and pieces you can feel.

   1 kg butternut squash

   Keep half the squash in piecesEntirely mashed makes it baby-food soft. The chunks give it something to bite.

2. 02

   Wilt and dry the spinach

   Wilt the spinach in a dry pan for 2-3 minutes, tip into a sieve and press hard with the back of a ladle, then squeeze it in your hands until no more water comes out. Wet spinach is the single most common reason a vegetable lasagne turns to soup.

   250 g spinach

   Squeeze the spinach dryIt holds a surprising amount of water. Press it in a sieve, then wring it in your hands.

3. 03

   Mix the ricotta

   Chop the squeezed spinach and mix it with the ricotta, the grated garlic clove, the pinch of nutmeg and the salt and pepper. Taste it. Ricotta needs more salt than you expect.

   500 g ricotta

   Over-season the ricottaIt is bland alone and it is a third of the filling. Fifteen minutes of resting is the other half.

4. 04

   Brown the sage butter

   Melt the butter over medium heat for 4-6 minutes until the solids are hazelnut brown, add the sage leaves for 30-45 seconds until crisp, and lift the leaves out to drain.

   50 g butter · 12 sage leaves

5. 05

   Layer

   Spread a thin layer of the 500 ml bechamel in a deep 23 x 33 cm dish, then build: pasta, ricotta mixture, squash, mozzarella and small spoonfuls of the sage butter. Repeat twice. Spooning the butter between the layers rather than only over the top perfumes the whole dish.

   500 ml bechamel

6. 06

   Top and bake

   Finish with bechamel, the remaining 250 g mozzarella and the Parmesan. Bake at 190 C / 170 C fan for 40-45 minutes, until bubbling at the edges and deeply golden on top, and a knife meets no resistance in the centre. Cover loosely with foil if the top colours before the middle is tender.

   250 g mozzarella · 70 g Parmesan

7. 07

   Rest it well

   Rest for 15 minutes before cutting. Straight from the oven it will slump on the plate; rested, it holds a clean square. Scatter the crisp sage over to serve.