This is a perfect Sunday lasagne – it’s warm and comforting, but quick and healthy. I’ve substituted the bechamel for a herb and pecorino creme fraiche, which helps to keep this recipe light, making the vegetable ragu the star. Feel free to play around with vegetables throughout the year, as this works equally well with aubergine and pumpkins when they are in season.

Serves 6
For the courgette ragu
good olive oil 200ml
scotch bonnet chilli 1, halved (optional)
garlic 6 cloves, roughly chopped
basil leaves 6, roughly chopped
courgettes 3 medium, diced into 2cm cubes
celery 2 sticks, diced into 2cm cubes
carrots 2, diced into 2cm cubes
red onion 2, finely diced
mint leaves 4, roughly chopped
white wine 200ml
tinned tomatoes 400g
lasagne sheets 400g, cooked in salted boiling water for 1 minute or until tender, laid on a tray, dressed with olive oil – if using fresh sheets, there is no need to boil them

For the creme fraiche and herb topping
creme fraiche 700g
pecorino 80g, grated
tarragon 4 tbsp, finely chopped
flat-leaf parsley 4 tbsp, finely chopped
chives 2 tbsp, chopped

Place a heavy-based medium-size saucepan on a low heat and add the olive oil, the halved scotch bonnet (if using), garlic and basil leaves, and allow to infuse for 1 minute. Remove the scotch bonnet and add the diced vegetables and mint, turning the heat up to medium. Season liberally with salt and pepper.

Cook the vegetables for about 10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes to ensure they are evenly browning. Once they have started to colour, add the wine and reduce by half, then add the tinned tomatoes and cook for 20 minutes or so. Taste for seasoning, then turn off the heat and set aside.

To make the creme fraiche topping, place the creme fraiche in a medium pan on a medium-low heat and reduce by a third. Do stir this frequently as you don’t want it to catch and taint the taste and colour. Add half the pecorino and all the herbs, and season with a little salt and plenty of black pepper, then set aside.

Preheat the oven to 180C fan/gas mark 6. In a large oven-proof baking dish, add enough of the ragu mix to cover the base, followed by a layer of lasagne sheets. Spread another third of the ragu over the lasagne sheets, and repeat this process twicemore, ending with the lasagne sheets on top. Add the creme fraiche topping and the remaining pecorino, and bake for 20 minutes or until golden and bubbling. Serve with rocket dressed in lemon, oil and more freshly grated pecorino.

Mattie Taino is a chef-consultant and cookery lecturer for Damson Jelly Academy