Cheat's squash pasta

Name: Cheat's squash pasta
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 butternut squash (1.2kg); 1 ciabatta roll (85g); ½ a bunch of fresh thyme or rosemary (15g); 1 clove of garlic; olive oil; 500 g fresh lasagne sheets; 50 g Parmesan cheese plus extra to serve; extra virgin olive oil; chilli oil optional

Crispy garlicky breadcrumbs & Parmesan

Vegetarianv

“For me, Jools and the kids, this is one of our go-to dinners for busy weeknights – super-silky pasta topped with crispy deliciousness – it’s guaranteed clean plates all round. The genius lies in having the whole roasted squash ready and waiting in the fridge, along with a packet of fresh lasagne sheets that can be sliced and cooked in just a matter of minutes. ”

Serves 4

Cooks In1 hour 40 minutes

DifficultySuper easy

Mains Italian Pasta & risotto

Nutrition per serving

Calories 569 28%
Fat 12.6g 18%
Saturates 4.1g 21%
Sugars 11.6g 13%
Salt 1.12g 19%
Protein 22.2g 44%
Carbs 98.3g 38%
Fibre 8.1g -

Of an adult's reference intake

Tap For Method

Ingredients

1 butternut squash , (1.2kg)
1 ciabatta roll , (85g)
½ a bunch of fresh thyme or rosemary , (15g)
1 clove of garlic
olive oil
500 g fresh lasagne sheets
50 g Parmesan cheese , plus extra to serve
extra virgin olive oil
chilli oil , optional

Tap For Method

Tap For Ingredients

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
Prick a butternut squash (1.2kg) all over with a sharp knife and roast for 1 hour 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool – this can be done on the day, or even days before.
Tear 1 ciabatta roll (85g) into a food processor and pick in ¼ of a bunch of fresh rosemary or thyme. Peel and add 1 clove of garlic, drizzle in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and blitz to breadcrumbs.
Tip into a large frying pan and fry over a medium heat for 5 minutes, or until beautifully golden and crisp, stirring regularly, then tip into a bowl.
Stack up 500g of fresh lasagne sheets, then cut into ½cm strips. Pick and finely chop ¼ of a bunch of fresh rosemary or thyme.
Place the pan back on a medium heat, scoop in half the butternut squash flesh (save half for another day), removing any tough skin or seeds, drizzle in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and scatter in the chopped herbs. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes, breaking it up with a spoon as you go.
Add the pasta to the pan, pour in 800ml of boiling kettle water and turn the heat up to high. Cook for 4 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked and has sucked up most of the liquid, stirring regularly, then turn off the heat.
Meanwhile, finely grate 50g of Parmesan. Once the pasta is cooked, scatter the Parmesan into the pan, drizzle in 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and toss together. Taste and season to perfection with sea salt and black pepper.
Divide the pasta between plates, scatter over the crispy breadcrumbs and top with an extra grating of Parmesan. Delicious finished with a drizzle of chilli oil, if you like.

Tips

USE IT UP
Instead of throwing the squash seeds away, turn them into a tasty topper or simple snack. Bake at 180°C/350°F/gas 4 for 5 to 10 minutes, or until lightly golden. Leave to cool, then store in an airtight container until needed.

VEG BOOST
Throw a handful of peas or spinach into the pan for the last few minutes – delicious!