A perfect treat for a cold Autumn evening, this twist on a traditional lasagne is a vibrant green alternative that tastes as good as it looks.

Winter is coming – and it’s got me craving rich, hearty foods. And what’s better than a lasagne?

For this recipe, I’ve swapped traditional bolognese sauce for a rich sausage meat and silky green spinach sauce and added taleggio to the bechamel for a delicate and slightly fruity bechamel. Plus, courgettes, because I just love them.

Serve with light salads and buttery garlic bread, and you’ve got the perfect weekend dinner.

Note: I’m an instinctive cook and rarely weigh / measure ingredients unless I absolutely have to. The below measurements are mostly estimations – I’d recommend tasting as you go and adjusting to your own preferences!

Courgette, sausage and taleggio lasagne

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 2 hours (may take a little longer – don’t rush the process!)

Serves: 4 (and can be scaled up as you wish)

Ingredients

For the sausage and spinach ragù:

• 10-12 good quality sausages, skins removed (I used Tesco Finest Lincolnshire)
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 100ml dry white wine
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 3 garlic cloved, diced
• 300g spinach
• 300ml chicken stock
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the courgettes

• 6 courgettes, sliced into 5mm coins
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the béchamel

• 60g butter
• 60g plain flour
• 700ml milk
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• 200g taleggio
• 40g parmesan or grana padano, grated
• 250g dried lasagne sheets
• Salt and pepper to taste

How to make sausage and courgette lasagne

1. Heat the oven to 220C fan.
2. Cut courgettes into 5mm coins, then toss with 2 tbsp olive oil and season generously.
3. Spread across 2 large trays in a single layer – don’t crowd them or they’ll steam.
4. Roast in the oven until the edges are golden and browning and starting to crisp. Set aside.
5. Turn oven down to 180C fan.
6. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a wide pan over a medium-high heat. De-skin the sausages, then add to the pan and crush until you have a chunky mince.
7. Leave the sausages alone for a couple of minutes at a time, then stir and repeat until fully cooked. You’re looking for crispy brown bits, not grey crumbs. Once browned, set aside.
8. To the same pan (add more oil if you need), add the diced onion and shallot and cook on a medium-low heat until softens. Add as much finely diced garlic as you wish, then cook for a further 2 minutes.
9. Add 100ml of white wine and simmer until about 1-2tbsp of liquid remains.
10. Add 300ml chicken stock and reduce until you have about 100ml left and it’s starting to thicken. Pour into a blender.
11. Add spinach into the pan and wilt until just soft, then tip the lot into a colander and squeeze as much water out as you can. Add to the blender with your chicken stock mix.
12. Blend lightly until you have a gorgeous green sauce (if you do it too much it will lose its vibrant green colour – but will still taste as good!)
13. Add the sausage back in the pan, followed by the spinach sauce. Season well and set aside (it should be a relatively thick, meaty sauce).
14. For the béchamel, melt 60g of butter over a low heat till it’s fully melted and starts to bubble. Stir in 60g of plain flour and cook for two minutes to cook the flour out (sometimes I do this a little longer till the flour is has a bit of a nutty smell).
15. Add 700ml milk gradually and whisk gently on a very low heat until the sauce thickens to a coating consistency.
16. Grate in 1 pinch whole nutmeg, grated, season with salt and pepper, and stir in about 100g of the torn-up taleggio. Stir until melted and you have a glossy sauce, then set aside.
17. To assemble, dip 250g dried lasagne sheets in boiling water until they become a bit bendy, but not too soft!
18. In a small roasting dish (like the one shown in my video), add a layer of sausage meat, followed by béchamel, then courgette. Repeat until the tin is almost full. Finish with a layer of paste, the remaining béchamel, then cover with a final layer of the courgette. Grate over any taleggio you have left and parmesan or grana padano.
19. Bake at 180C fan until the top is browned and the edges are bubbling. Cover loosely with foil if it’s colouring too fast before the middle is hot.
20. Let it rest before cutting – optional, but it will slump on the plate otherwise!
21. Serve with a light tomato or rocket salad and garlic bread. Enjoy!

Hungry for more? Why not try my chorizo and corn carbonara, or caramelised onion focaccia.