Simple baked lasagne

Recipe by Jamie Oliver

This easy lasagne recipe is given a Jamie Oliver twist, with the addition of sweet roasted butternut squash, and a little kick of chilli. Oozy mozzarella, fresh lasagne sheets, and a rich meat ragù – what's not to love?

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 carrot
• 4 rashers of higher-welfare pancetta or smoked bacon
• 2 handfuls of fresh herbs such as sage, oregano, rosemary, thyme
• 1 pinch of ground cinnamon
• olive oil
• 400 g quality beef shin or stewing beef minced
• 200 g higher-welfare pork belly skin removed (minced)
• 2 x 400 g plum tomatoes
• 2 glasses of red wine
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 1 butternut squash
• 1 tablespoon Coriander seeds
• 1 dried red chilli
• 400 g fresh lasagne sheets
• 400 g mozzarella cheese torn up
• 3 anchovy fillets from sustainable sources
• 500 ml crème fraîche
• 2 handfuls of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• milk optional

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Peel and finely chop the onion, garlic and carrot, then finely slice the pancetta or bacon. Pick the herbs.Slowly fry the pancetta or bacon and cinnamon in a large casserole pan over a medium heat until golden, then add the onion, carrot, garlic and herbs and 4 tablespoons of oil. Mix together, add the beef and pork, cook for 5 minutes, then add the tomatoes and wine (or you can use water, if you prefer). Add the bay and bring to the boil.Scrunch up a wet sheet of greaseproof paper, then and place it on top of the pan and cover with a lid. Place in the oven for 2 hours or simmer on the hob over a gentle heat for around 1½ hours, or until thickened and reduced.Halve, deseed and roughly chop the butternut squash, then drizzle with oil. Bash the coriander seeds and dried chilli then sprinkle over, with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.Place on a baking tray and roast in the oven for the last 45 minutes of cooking the sauce. When the sauce is done, season to taste and put to one side. For the white sauce, finely chop the anchovies, then mix with the crème fraîche and a handful of Parmesan, then season with salt and pepper – you may need to loosen the mixture with a little milk.Turn the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6. To assemble the lasagne, rub a lasagne dish with oil, lay some sheets of lasagne over the bottom and drape them over the sides. Add a layer of meat, a little white sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan. Break the butternut squash into pieces and use this as one layer, then repeat the layers, finishing with a layer of pasta covered in white sauce. Tear over the mozzarella and sprinkle with some extra Parmesan, then bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden. Serve with a seasonal salad.

View the recipe instructions at Jamie Oliver