Can I Use Butternut Squash in the Pumpkin And Goat's Cheese Lasagne?

Our answer

Nigella's Pumpkin And Goat's Cheese Lasagne (from NIGELLA CHRISTMAS) is a nice vegetarian alternative to the traditional meat lasagne. It is also easy to make as it does not require making two different sauces in advance. The pumpkin layer is made from cubes of pumpkin that are cooked until soft but still holding their shape.

It should be possible to use butternut squash as an alternative, though the flesh is sweeter than a pumpkin. Some people may find the sweetness a little overbearing, though the sharpness of the goat's cheese should slightly offset the sweetness. You need 2kg of prepared, cubed squash, which should be about 2 medium butternut squash. The cooking time for the squash will be different to the pumpkin and may take slightly longer to soften, but we suggest that you start checking just before the one hour cooking time is up, and then check every 4-5 minutes after that. The squash should be tender enough that the cubes can be pierced easily with a table knife, but not so soft that they will collapse when layered into the lasagne.