Chicken, squash & pesto lasagne

There must be Italian blood hiding in my ancestry because lasagne is one of my all-time favourites. This one has a creamy pesto sauce, shredded chicken and a layer of squash. It’s just as hearty and flavourful as the classic but fresher and more interesting, texturally. I often cook it for Sunday lunch – it’s wonderful with a dressed green salad and some crusty bread.

SERVES 6 PREP 20 mins COOK 1 hr 5 mins EASY G

2 tbsp olive oil

2 onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

4 skinless chicken breasts

1 tbsp plain lour

600ml chicken stock

500g mascarpone

190g pesto bunch of basil, leaves picked and chopped, plus a few whole leaves to serve 1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks good grating of nutmeg 12 lasagne sheets

85g parmesan, grated splash of milk

50g pine nuts

1 Heat the oil in a large casserole dish. Fry the onions until softened, then add the garlic and cook for 2 mins more. Push the onions and garlic to the edge of the pan, add the chicken and cook for a few minutes on each side to brown. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir it in. Pour in the stock, season, cover and simmer for 10 mins, or until the chicken is cooked through. Use two forks to shred the chicken, then add half the mascarpone and all the pesto, stirring until the mascarpone has melted. Bubble for a few minutes to thicken, then remove from the heat and stir in the basil.

2 Put the squash in a bowl with 2 tbsp water, cover and microwave on high for 12-15 mins, or until soft.

Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper, and mash lightly with a fork. 3 Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Spoon half the chicken mixture into a 20 x 30cm ovenproof dish. Cover with 4 lasagne sheets, then the mashed squash and half the parmesan. Top with another 4 lasagne sheets, the remaining chicken mixture, then a final layer of lasagne sheets. Mix enough milk into the remaining mascarpone to make a smooth sauce – aim for a consistency similar to white sauce. Season with more nutmeg, salt and pepper, then pour over the lasagne. Scatter over the remaining parmesan and the pine nuts. Bake for 40 mins until piping hot in the centre and crunchy and golden on top. Scatter with a few extra basil leaves before serving.

GOOD TO KNOW calcium • 1 of 5-a-day

PER SERVING 692 kcals • fat 50g • saturates 23g • carbs 30g • sugars 9g • ibre 4g • protein 31g • salt 1.3g