Roast Squash, Chickpea & Harissa Lasagne
Authentic to nowhere, but also very much inspired by the flavours of North African cuisine, this lasagne is sweetly spiced, intense, chunky and textured. I really like serving it with additional dollops of harissa as a condiment.
Ingredients · Servings 8
- 1tbsp Cumin Seeds
- 2tsp Ground Ginger
- 1tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1250g Butternut Squash
- 5tbsp Olive Oil
- 30g Fresh Coriander
- 1 Onion
- 3 Carrot
- 700g Drained Cooked Chickpeas
- 2x 400g Can Chopped Tomatoes
- 0.5 Orange Zest
- 1tbsp Honey
- 1tbsp Rose Harissa Paste
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- 500g Crème Fraîche
- 2tbsp Whole Milk
- 50g Parmesan
- 325g Dried Lasagne Sheet
- Flaky Sea Salt
- Black Pepper
Method · 50 min
- Heat the oven to 180°C. Use a pestle and mortar to bash and lightly grind the cumin seeds, then combine them with the ginger, cinnamon and a pinch of flaky sea salt. Finely dice the onion and carrots. Use a vegetable peeler or small knife to remove the rind from the orange.
- Cut the squash in half lengthwise (no need to peel). Scoop out the seeds, then cut the flesh into ½cm-1cm crescents. Pick the coriander leaves from their stalks and roughly chop them up. Finely chop the coriander stalks.
- In a large bowl or roasting tin, toss the squash in half of the olive oil until glossy, then add the spice rub and ensure each piece is well coated. Arrange over 2-3 baking trays, so they sit in one layer, and roast for 15-20 mins until soft and lightly browned.
- Meanwhile, drizzle the remaining oil into a large saucepan set over a medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sauté for 5 mins without colouring. Stir in the carrot and chopped coriander stalks and cook for 4-5 mins, stirring occasionally. Pour in the chickpeas and any stock in the jar, plus the chopped tomatoes, orange rind, honey, harissa, cinnamon stick and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Simmer for around 15 mins, so the sauce becomes glossy and reduces by one-third. Remove from the heat, pick out the cinnamon stick and orange rind, then stir through the coriander leaves.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the crème fraîche, milk and two-thirds of the Parmesan.
- Assemble the lasagne in a 2-2.5L ovenproof dish. Cover the base with a little less than one-third of the sauce, then a layer of pasta, then sauce, then pasta. Arrange the squash in one layer, then spoon and spread a touch more than one-third of the crème fraîche mixture on top. Now add another layer of pasta, then sauce plus any remaining squash. Top with a final layer of pasta and the remaining crème fraîche mixture, then cover with Parmesan. Bake for around 35 mins, until bubbling and golden.
- Leave to rest for 10 mins before dividing into portions and serving with dollops of harissa to taste.
