Name: Courgette, parma ham and lemon ricotta lasagne
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 onion, finely chopped; 2 tbsp olive oil; 4 garlic cloves, crushed; 4 courgettes, coarsely grated; 500g ricotta, drained; 250g mascarpone; 2 lemons, zested; basil, finely chopped; 40g parmesan or pecorino, finely grated; pinch of nutmeg; 160g parma ham; 350g fresh lasagne sheets; 1 egg yolk; green salad and sliced beef tomatoes, to serve

A white ceramic oven dish filled with baked lasagne on a wooden board and a green surface

1 onion
finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves
crushed
4 courgettes
coarsely grated
500g ricotta
drained
250g mascarpone
2 lemons
zested
basil
finely chopped
40g parmesan or pecorino
finely grated
pinch of nutmeg
160g parma ham
350g fresh lasagne sheets
1 egg yolk
green salad and sliced beef tomatoes
to serve

Method

step 1
Fry the onion in the olive oil over a medium-low heat for 5-6 mins or until tender, then stir in the garlic and fry for further minute until fragrant. Add the courgettes, turn up the heat slightly, and fry for 5-6 mins or until the water that comes off them evaporates and the mixture begins to soften – the courgettes should look fairly dry and reduced in size. Remove from the heat.
step 2
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Beat together the ricotta, mascarpone, lemon zest, basil, half of parmesan, the nutmeg, salt and lots of black pepper in a bowl. Stir three-quarters of the mixture into the courgettes and combine well.
step 3
Add a spoonful of the filling into the base of a roughly 22cm x 35cm lasagne dish and smooth over to cover the base. Add a layer of parma ham, then a layer of lasagne sheets, trimming to fit if you need to. Repeat the layers (about four) until all the fillings have been used up, finishing with a pasta layer.
step 4
Beat the egg yolk into the reserved ricotta mixture and spoon over the top, smoothing to the sides in an even layer. Scatter with the remaining parmesan. Bake for 35-40 mins or until the top is golden and bubbling, and a knife inserted into the middle meets little resistance. Serve with a sharply dressed green salad and some salted wedges of beef tomato, scattered with more basil.