Which Type of Pumpkin Is Best For The Pumpkin And Goat Cheese Lasagne?

Our answer

Nigella's Pumpkin And Goat's Cheese Lasagne (from NIGELLA CHRISTMAS) is a low effort dish as it has a filling made from soft, cooked pumpkin, plus tomato and cheese layers that are easily made by stirring together different ingredients.

The recipe doesn't specify any particular type of pumpkin or winter squash simply as most varieties sold in supermarkets, grocers and farmers' markets will work in the recipe. Pumpkins and winter squash usually have either denser flesh that is firmer and has a nuttier, sweeter taste or the more fibrous type that have a spongier flesh. The second type are sometimes sold as "carving pumpkins" in the UK and we would tend to avoid these as they have less flavour. The availability of different varieties of pumpkin and squash can vary according to where you live, but butternut squash is available almost everywhere and would be a good type to use. Other varieties to look out for would be delica (a member of the kabocha squash family), turban squash, kuri (a member of the hubbard family and sometimes called an onion squash), Crown Price and acorn squash.