Cheesy Butternut Squash & Sausage Lasagna Rolls
Ingredients:
1 butternut squash
1 lb ground Italian sausage
1 small bag fresh baby spinach
1 shallot
2 garlic cloves
1 package lasagne noodles
1 tsp olive oil
1 C shredded parmesan
1 C shredded italian blend cheese
15 oz container ricotta cheese
1 egg
Salt & pepper
Chives (optional for garnish)
Lasagna Noodles
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Pyrex Oven Safe Baking Dish
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Brown sausage in skillet or on tray in smoker/grill until cooked through and crumbly and no longer pink. Drain any fat & set aside.
- Prep veggies: Peel and dice butternut squash, dice up shallots, smash/mince garlic, rough chop spinach, chop chives
- Bring 2 large pots of salted water to a boil.
- Add butternut squash to one pot and cook until softened
- Drain out water, reserving about 1 C of the water, and set it aside
- Add lasagne noodles to other pot of boiling salted water, and par-cook (slightly under-cook)
- Drain water from noodles and drizzle generous amount of olive oil over noodles to keep from sticking together in the pot. Cover and set aside.
- Add cooked butternut squash and 1/4 C of reserved water to a blender
- Blend until smooth, adding more water if needed to thin out. Set aside.
- In large skillet over medium heat add the oil, shallots, and garlic and saute until softened and fragrant, approx 3 or 4 minutes
- Add butternut squash from the blender into the skillet and stir to combine.
- Add salt and pepper to taste and additional reserved water as needed to desired sauce consistency.
- Add in 1/2 C parmesan stirring to combine and remove from the heat to set aside
- In a medium bowl, add ricotta, spinach, parmesan, egg, & salt and pepper. Stir well until evenly combined.
- Spread a thin layer of the butternut squash sauce to cover the bottom of 9 x 13 glass baking dish
- Lay out some parchment or wax paper to cover a large work area, and lay out the par-cooked noodles on top
- Spread layer of ricotta mixture evenly across each noodle
- Sprinkle cooked crumbled sausage on top of ricotta
- Roll each noodle carefully and place seam side down onto sauce in baking dish.
- Repeat process until all noodles are topped and rolled and placed in the dish.
- Ladle remaining butternut squash sauce over the noodles in the dish.
- Sprinkle Italian cheese blend over the top.
- Cover with foil and bake approximately 30 – 35 minutes until bubbly and cheese has melted throughout
- Remove foil. Switch oven to broil and bake additional 3-5 minutes to lightly toast the tops. (Keep a close eye and don’t leave the oven as it can burn quickly under broil setting!)
- Garnish with fresh chives as desired and serve up warm and melty! Mmmmm
