Pasta Please #10 - The Lasagne Roundup

It was a pleasure to host Pasta Please for Jacqueline this month. This is an ongoing event celebrating pasta with a different theme each time. I went with vegetarian lasagna this month because it's always a crowd pleaser and when I eat pasta, it's one of my favorite comforting ways to serve it up. Now it's time to have a look at the tempting submissions. Thanks to everyone who sent in their creative dish. Four of the submissions include squash, so I suppose it's also a lasagne roundup featuring squash.

First up is this Kid-Friendly Healthy Vegetarian Lasagna from Amy of Fit and Fabulous After 40. This dish is "just right" we are told and I have no doubt. It's also a good way to sneak in some vegetables that your kids might not ordinarily eat. Onion, courgette, carrots, basil, oregano, turmeric, soya mince and basil tomato sauce make up the vegetable base, and then comes together with a creamy béchamel sauce along with mozzarella. Lots of layers of goodness on this plate.

I'm up next with my signature Vegetarian Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna. I've perfected it over the years and it never fails to please. Homemade succulent mushroom and vegetable tomato sauce with carrots, celery, jalapenos, garlic and fresh herbs and a bit of spice nestle in with fresh noodles, lightly wilted spinach, creamy ricotta, parsley and fontina cheese; then the whole dish is topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. A balanced elegance and pure comfort is what you will experience when you try this, and happy diners too.

Caroline came up with a Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Lasagna that certainly has me hungry as I imagine the layers of textures and flavors going on here. Sweet potato and butternut squash snuggle in with the noodles and a white sauce made up of Parmesan, ricotta, egg yolks, milk and nutmeg. The dish is then sprinkled with bread crumbs. I'm certainly intrigued by the idea of squash in a lasagna.

And on the subject of squash, our next submission from Shaheen of Allotment 2 Kitchen also features this mighty vegetable. Pull up a chair and consider serving this lovely Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna next time you want to feed a small crowd or have leftovers on hand, because leftover lasagna is fantastic. A rich bechamel sauce that includes cheddar cheese and herb and garlic tones, comes together with the noodles, squash, spinach, parsley and some additional cheese. I can almost taste it.

Yet more squash in this tempting Vegetarian Lasagna with Butternut Squash and Kale from Morgan of Peaches Please. This luscious pan of goodness won't fail to provide comfort on a cold autumn day. Squash is roasted with olive oil, nutmeg and seasoning, kale leaves are tossed with red wine vinegar, a buttery milk sauce with shallot, sage and tarragon is simmered up, ricotta is mixed with balsamic and then it all comes together with some sliced apples and Mozzarella. Such an intriguing flavor profile in this dish. Yes please.

Our final submission is from Claire of Chez Cayenne. Served up is this rich and comforting Greek Eggplant Lasagna and it's vegan too. Moussaka inspired, this creative dish includes a tomato sauce with onion, garlic, ground round, cinnamon, allspice, black pepper, and red pepper flakes and a béchamel sauce with almond milk, vegan Parmesan and nutmeg. The noodles get cozy with the sauces and slices of eggplant. I bet seconds were in demand. Serve with a crispy green salad and a glass of wine.

And that concludes the roundup. Jacqueline is hosting the event next month and the theme is going to be mushrooms, so I'm excited of course. Stay tuned for the announcement on Jac's blog.

My tried and tested guacamole has always received rave reviews from my guests, but I wanted to step things up a notch this time around and, after seeing a few recipes for pesto guacamole, I was sold on the idea, especially as there was basil from my backyard that I wanted to use and I have never been known to turn my nose up at pesto — and certainly not at guacamole. As tends to happen in my kitchen, this one is spiced up.

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Mushrooms of any shape and variety are welcomed with open hands and a ready fork in my kitchen, and when I spice them up, as I did in this curry, bliss enters the equation.

This happens to be an ideal curry to serve alongside some savory bites, such as samosa or pakora. It works just as well as any sauce that you might make on the side to go along with your favorite savories. Needless to say, it is also divine served as a side with dal, rice and any Indian flat bread that you might fancy. My only regret is that I didn't double the recipe. Surely this dish will now become a staple in my kitchen.

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Good for you? Of course, and I'll happily munch on a few raw florets or pieces of the crunchy stalk myself, but broccoli is one of those vegetables that seems to need a little help to make it more appetizing for many people. Fortunately, that's really easy to do by roasting it and dressing it with a simple sauce.

Roasting broccoli brings out a lively sweet flavor that you may never know the vegetable had — far more intense than the slightly washed out taste of steamed or broiled broccoli. And roasting it also brings out an attractive vibrant green color and pretty contrasts in the slightly charred tips that make broccoli an even more appealing vegetable to put on the plate.

A plate of roasted broccoli may be quite appealing as it is, as far as I'm concerned, but after having gone through the only very slight trouble of roasting it I like to enhance it with a drizzle of a fresh and equally trouble-free sauce, like this easy-to-make, no-cook and big flavor Asian-style made with miso, tahini and tamari sauce and spiked with fresh ginger and a little cayenne for a bit of a kick. So simple and nourishing besides, you can put the sauce together while the broccoli is roasting for a delicious and healthy plate that takes no more than 30 minutes from start to finish. I served this with pan-fried teriyaki mushrooms and cashews for a lovely and simple light dinner.

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