🍂 002: Funday on Sunday with Bunday
Luring Autumn Lasagne
This week’s Funday on Sunday with Bunday celebrates comfort, creativity and the joy of seasonal cooking, all baked together in one irresistible, bubbling dish of luring Autumn Lasagne.
As the days grow shorter and the air turns crisp, it’s the perfect time to turn to food that feels like a warm hug. For today’s Funday adventure, we’ve created our own version of lasagne, a fusion of our favourite veggie and meat recipes, layered with love and full of the best of autumn’s harvest.
It was also World Pasta Day on 25th October, so it seemed only right to honour one of Italy’s most beloved dishes. With Halloween just gone on Friday 31st October and today being Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), we couldn’t resist giving one half of our star ingredient – the butternut squash – a single, cheeky googly eye to become our one-eyed cyclops for the week. 👁️ 🎃
A Luring Lasagne for the Season
Lasagne is a dish that evolves with every household and every cook who layers it. Ours brings together earthy butternut squash, silky aubergine, hearty minced beef and a rich tomato ragù slowly simmered with Barolo wine, herbs and a touch of balsamic and Worcestershire sauce for depth.
The “white” sauce (not sure white with the addition of porcini) is made from leeks, mushrooms, porcini, ricotta, cottage cheese (less fat!) and cheddar, which adds a creamy, nutty richness that ties every layer together. The result? A hearty, nourishing and aromatic lasagne that tastes like autumn on a plate.
Every mouthful captures the season, from the rustic sweetness of roasted squash to the savoury depth of porcini and the comfort of béchamel sauce infused with rosemary, thyme and a little nutmeg for warmth.
Food Photography and Fun
This week’s photoshoot celebrates both the art and heart of cooking. From flat lays of fresh ingredients including aubergine, rosemary, plum tomatoes, olive oil and porcini, to action shots of pasta layering and the final golden bake emerging from the oven, this Funday story was all about texture, colour and light.
We captured macro details of bubbling cheese, steam rising from a slice and that satisfying spoonful of lasagne topped with extra cheese! Of course, our butternut squash cyclops stole the show, proving once again that food photography can be playful as well as beautiful.
The Recipe for Luring Autumn Lasagne
A lasagne layered with autumn’s best including butternut squash, aubergine, mushrooms and a rich beef ragù, balanced with a creamy white sauce made from porcini, leeks and ricotta. It’s a true labour of love and a celebration of the season.
Ingredients
Main Lasagne
1 butternut squash (approx. 850g total)
2 aubergines
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
A pinch of dried chilli flakes
Olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 carrots, diced
2 onions, diced
3 sticks celery, diced
400g quality minced beef
150ml red wine (Barolo if you’re feeling fancy)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 beef stock cube or equivalent
2 heaped tablespoons tomato purée
2 x 400g tins plum tomatoes
1 mixed bunch of fresh woody herbs (thyme, rosemary, sage, bay)
175g mixed mushrooms, chopped
1 can beans (optional – e.g. cannellini or butter beans)
100g fresh spinach leaves
350g dried lasagne sheets
For the white sauce
20g dried porcini mushrooms
150g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
2 medium leeks, finely sliced
2 fresh bay leaves
100g mushrooms, finely sliced
4 tablespoons plain flour
1 litre semi-skimmed milk
200g fat-free cottage cheese
200g ricotta
Whole nutmeg, for grating
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds (optional, for topping)
Method
Prep and Roast the Vegetables
Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C).
Soak the dried porcini mushrooms in boiling water and set aside to rehydrate.
Halve the butternut squash, scoop out the seeds, rinse and pat them dry.
Using a mandoline or sharp knife, slice the squash and aubergines into 5mm slices.
Place on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, and season with fennel seeds, chilli flakes, sea salt, black pepper, and a sprinkle of chopped sage and thyme.
Roast for about 1 hour, or until golden and tender.
Make the Ragù
Dice the onions, carrots, and celery, then place them in a large pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and aromatic.
Add the crushed garlic, stir for 2 minutes.
Add the minced beef, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Cook for about 10 minutes until all liquid evaporates.
Pour in the red wine, let it bubble for a few minutes, then add the balsamic vinegar and stock cube. Season well.
Stir in the tomato purée and plum tomatoes, breaking them down with your spoon.
Add the mushrooms and beans, mix well.
Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for around 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until thick and rich.
Make the White Sauce
Meanwhile, make the white sauce. In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the leeks and bay leaves.
Season lightly and cook for 5 minutes until softened.
Add the fresh mushrooms, then the soaked porcini along with their liquid (avoid the gritty bits at the bottom).
Add the flour, stir to form a roux, then gradually pour in the milk, whisking continuously.
Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5–10 minutes, stirring often until thickened.
Remove the bay leaves. Transfer the mixture to a food processor with the ricotta and cottage cheese. Blitz until smooth and creamy.
Stir in half the grated cheddar, grate in half a nutmeg, and adjust seasoning to taste.
Assemble the lasagne
Spoon a quarter of the ragù into a large ovenproof dish (approx. 25cm x 30cm). Spread evenly.
Add a layer of roasted squash and aubergine, scatter some spinach, and spoon over some white sauce.
Cover with lasagne sheets.
Repeat this layering three times, finishing with a generous layer of white sauce.
Sprinkle over the remaining cheddar and a few sunflower seeds for crunch.
Bake and Serve
Bake at 180°C for 45 minutes or until golden and bubbling.
Remove from the oven and rest for 5–10 minutes before slicing.
👨🏼🍳 Chef’s Tip
For vegetarian guests, swap the minced beef for extra mushrooms, lentils or roasted peppers and courgettes…the layers are endlessly adaptable.
A Toast to the Season 🍷
Serve this lasagne with a simple green salad and a generous pour of red. We recommend a Barolo or Chianti, which complements the richness of the sauce perfectly.
Whether you’re cooking for a Sunday lunch, an autumn dinner with friends or a cosy night in, this dish brings warmth, laughter and just the right amount of Funday magic.
From Our Kitchen to Yours
Funday on Sunday with Bunday is all about celebrating creativity in cooking, photography and storytelling. So whether you’re layering pasta sheets, shooting your own food creations or simply enjoying the results, we’d love to see your creations too.
What’s your favourite autumn comfort dish?
Share your ideas and tag #FundayOnSundayWithBunday and #SequoiaStudios so we can see your seasonal creations!
Are you a restaurant, pub, café, food producer or chef looking to elevate your brand through mouth-watering imagery and engaging storytelling? We’d love to help bring your vision to life.
