Stilton, butternut and spinach lasagne
Prep time: 1 hrTotal time: 
Stilton, butternut and spinach lasagne
Penicillium roqueforti mold, the veins in blue cheese, gives it its pungency. Crumble stilton leftovers over a spinach salad, or add to any savoury bake for a moreish umami flavour
Prep time: 1 hrTotal time: 
Nadine Brown
Nadine Brown
Ingredients
For the base
- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed and cut into chunks (about 1.3kg)
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus 1 tsp
- 50g full-fat soft cheese
- 9-10 lasagne sheets
- 80g mild cheddar, grated
- 70g stilton
- 5 sage leaves
For the white sauce
- 40g salted butter
- 40g plain flour
- 600ml whole milk
- 70g stilton
- grating of nutmeg
For the spinach
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, finely crushed
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 400g baby leaf spinach
- 5 sage leaves, finely chopped
Step by step
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Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Toss the squash and garlic cloves on a large baking tray with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and plenty of seasoning. Transfer to the oven and roast for 40 minutes, stirring halfway through, until tender and starting to caramelise.
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Meanwhile, make the white sauce. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and stir in the flour to make a paste. Add a little milk, whisking continuously to prevent lumps. Keep adding the milk, a little at a time, until all the milk is added and you have a smooth sauce. Stir in the stilton, along with a few gratings of nutmeg, and season to taste.
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For the spinach, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in the chilli flakes and cook for a further 30 seconds, then add the spinach in batches, waiting for one portion to mostly wilt before adding the next. Once all the spinach has been added and wilted, continue to cook over a medium-high heat for about 2 minutes to bubble off any excess liquid in the bottom of the pan. Stir in the chopped sage, season to taste and set aside.
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Once the squash is ready, transfer it to a large bowl and squeeze in the roasted garlic, discarding the skins. Add the soft cheese and roughly mash. It should be a little chunky, so don’t worry if the cheese isn’t fully combined. Season to taste.
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In a 17cm x 24cm rectangle baking dish, spread half the squash across the base. Pour one-third of the sauce over the squash, then top with a single layer of lasagne sheets, snapping as necessary to fill any gaps. Add the spinach in an even layer and top with half the remaining sauce. Follow with more pasta, the remaining squash, another layer of pasta and finally the remaining white sauce.
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Scatter over the cheddar and crumble over the stilton. Transfer to the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Brush the sage leaves with the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil and place them on top of the lasagne. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes until the lasagne is golden and bubbling and the sage is crisp. Stand for 10 minutes before serving.
