Slow Cooker Butternut Squash & Lentil Lasagne

My slow cooker butternut squash and lentil lasagne is a great filling veggie slow cooker dish and works well for a healthy eating plan too as it is based on vegetables.

Vegetable layers

The layers of butternut squash and courgette do a great job in place of sheets of lasagne.

They keep their bite and I season them well for loads of flavour.

You can buy butternut squash in sheets from some supermarkets, or do what I did and buy it in large pieces and then just make into thinner slices for layering.

I just sliced the courgette carefully lengthways with a knife or you could use a mandoline if you have one (and don’t mind losing the odd finger here and there…).

The tomato sauce with green lentils adds flavour and depth and makes this suitable for a main meal.

I often make vegetarian meals in my slow cooker, have a look in my Slow Cooker Archives for more of them.

Slow cooker veggie lasagne

To make this slow cooker vegetarian lasagne you need to layer up your ingredients as you would if making lasagne the usual way in the oven.

The full recipe is below, with images. But basically you will alternate a layer of lentil sauce, then slices of butternut squash and courgette, then repeat.

Top it off with a simple cheese sauce made of ricotta, milk and cheese with no pre-cooking required.

Then cook in the slow cooker for 4 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low.

So simple but so effective!  Contact with the sides of the slow cooker will even make the cheese sauce on top brown.

Ingredients

• onion
• garlic
• chopped tomatoes
• thyme – I use dried
• basil – I prefer fresh but you could use dried instead.
• tin of green lentils – green lentils are great as they retain texture during cooking and add some bite to the dish.
• butternut squash
• courgettes (zucchini)
• ricotta cheese
• milk
• grated cheese – your preferred kind and strength. I like extra mature Cheddar for loads of flavour.

Method

1. Spray your slow cooker pot lightly with oil to prevent sticking.
2. Mix the ingredients for the lentil tomato sauce in a large bowl. Place half of the sauce in the base of the slow cooker pot.
3. Add a layer of courgette to cover the lentil sauce.
4. Add a layer of butternut squash to cover the courgette. Season with salt and pepper and add some more torn basil leaves.
5. Repeat, first adding the best of the lentil tomato sauce, then a layer of courgette and another layer of butternut squash, and seasoning/basil.
6. Put the ricotta cheese in a small bowl, add a splash of milk to thin it slightly. Put half of the grated cheese in the ricotta and mix.
7. Spread the ricotta cheese mixture over the top of the butternut squash slices. Top with the remaining cheese. Season with salt and pepper and add a little more basil.
8. Cook on high for 3 hours. Then take the lid off and cook for another hour on high to reduce the liquid in the pot.
9. Allow to cool slightly then slice and serve using a wide spatula.

Slow cooker size: For this recipe I used a large 5.7 litre / 6 quart slow cooker.

Butternut squash recipes

More butternut squash recipe ideas:

• Slow cooker butternut squash soup
• Squash, walnut and goat’s cheese pizza from Tin and Thyme
• Autumnal squash and goat’s cheese tart from Foodie Quine
• Butternut squash and feta giant couscous salad 
• Courgette and Butternut Squash Lentil Bake