Spray your slow cooker pot lightly with oil to prevent sticking.
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.
1 onion, 1 clove garlic, 400 g chopped tomatoes, ½ tsp dried thyme, 3 leaves fresh basil, 1 tin green lentils
Add a layer of courgette to cover the lentil sauce.
3 courgettes (zucchini)
Add a layer of butternut squash to cover the courgette. Season with salt and pepper and add some more torn basil leaves.
500 g butternut squash
Repeat, first adding the best of the lentil tomato sauce, then a layer of courgette and another layer of butternut squash, and seasoning/basil.
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.
250 g ricotta cheese, milk, 50 g extra mature cheddar cheese
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.
3 leaves fresh basil
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.
Allow to cool slightly then slice and serve using a wide spatula.
Notes
Slow cooker size: For this recipe I used a large 5.7 litre / 6 quart slow cooker.