Pumpkin and asparagus make a terrific double act. The sweet taste and soft texture of pumpkin plays beautifully with the crispness and unique flavour of asparagus. I know I’m not supposed to use cream with pasta so if you’re feeling a little guilty, as I sometimes do, you can omit the cream and just use ricotta or mascarpone or both. Or, why not forget the guilt and serve small portions of the lasagne prepared with just a little ricotta, grana padano and cream for this rich and deliciously decadent dish.

Ingredients for roast pumpkin and asparagus lasagne

1 kg jap pumpkin, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes
125 ml olive oil
4 garlic cloves, halved
1 onion, finely chopped
½ bunch sage, leaves picked
½ bunch thyme, leaves picked
few gratings of fresh nutmeg
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ bunch chives, chopped
500g ricotta
10 dried lasagne sheets
350 ml cream
12 asparagus spears, ends trimmed, sliced into 3 cm pieces
2 cups grated grana padano

Serves 8-10

Preparation method for roast pumpkin and asparagus lasagne

1. Preheat the oven to 180oC. Put the pumpkin pieces on a tray and toss with the olive oil, garlic, onion, half the sage and thyme, and the nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper, then roast in the oven until tender and golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a little (but keep the oven running). Discard the garlic and put the mixture in a bowl. Add the chives and ricotta and mash everything together.

2. Meanwhile, cook the lasagne sheets in a large pot of salted boiling water until just al dente. Drain and cool under running water. Lightly brush the sheets with oil on both sides so they don’t stick together and lay them on a plate.

3. Oil or butter a baking dish and pour a little of the cream into the base. Place 2 lasagne sheets over the cream. Spread some of the pumpkin mixture over the top and scatter with some asparagus, then with some of the remaining sage and thyme, then with grana padano. Add more cream and lasagne sheets and continue layering. Top with the final pieces of lasagne, the remaining pumpkin, asparagus, cream and grana padano. Scatter with the remaining thyme and press the last sage leaves over the surface. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until golden. Rest for 15 minutes before serving.