Oh my gosh, you guys. This might be my favorite butternut squash pasta since the life-saving mac and cheese.
Sheets of homemade pasta filled with roasted butternut squash, apple, onion, sausage, and three cheeses; topped with a creamy sage bechamel. It’s totally swoon worthy.
The filling is a little complicated, but totally worth it. While your butternut squash is roasting in the oven, mix up and brown your sausage mixture. Did I mention that you are creating your own sausage, so you can adjust the spices to your liking? And you can be sure that there are no weird preservatives or sugar? Awesome. Anyway, next you saute some onions, garlic, and apple. Plus a little white wine – aww, yeah.
Oh my gosh this filling. It’s insane. You may want to make extra to use in other ways. I’ll talk about that later.
Fresh pasta is totally amazing if you have the tools/know-how. I highly recommend it. If you can’t do it, try to find some fresh lasagna sheets in the refrigerated pasta section of your store. Spread your (boiled) sheets with a combo of Parmesan, ricotta (whole, don’t skimp here), and mozzarella cheeses. Gruyere would also work if you have some. Then lay that filling on top.
Roll up the pasta with the filling and lay into a baking dish. Then cover with a creamy sage and white wine sauce and bake.
I really wish I had some of this right now. GET IN MY FACE.
Now, you might have some filling leftover after making the lasagna rolls. And if you are like me, you might want to eat that filling as a hash with a poached egg on top. You might even have some pasta sheets that you didn’t use. So you might cut those sheets into thick strips to serve with said hash and egg. If you have gone down this leftover journey, then I salute you, and I will catch you on the other side of food bliss.
Butternut Squash, Apple, and Sausage Lasagna Rolls
adapted from The Noshery
yields 8 rolls
Filling:
3 cups (1/2 inch) cubed butternut squash (about 1 small)
Olive oil
nutmeg
1/2 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled & diced
white wine
Sausage:
1 lb ground pork
1/2 tsp ground fennel
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dry sage
1/2 tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
Cheese:
1 1/2 cup whole ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
Creamy Sage Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup (lightly packed) fresh sage leaves, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
white wine
3 cups whole milk
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
Pinch nutmeg
Assembly:
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
Pasta:
3 cups flour
5 eggs
nutmeg
1 tbsp olive oil
Make the pasta – place the flour and eggs in a food processor along with a pinch each of salt and fresh nutmeg. Pulse until combined, then add the olive oil and pulse until the dough comes together (you may need to add water or flour to achieve the right consistency. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead a few times. It should be smooth, elastic, and a little tacky. Wrap in plastic wrap and allow to rest on the counter for 30 minutes.
Roll out the pasta – Separate into 4 pieces and keep covered. Working with one piece at a time on a floured surface, flatten with a rolling pin or your palms, then pass through the widest setting of a pasta roller. Fold into thirds and pass through the roller again. Repeat. Decrease the width by one and pass the pasta through twice. Continue like this until the desired setting is reached (I go to 4 out of 6 on my roller for lasagna). The sheets should be about 3 inches wide. Cut into lengths of 10-12 inches. Keep between layer of plastic wrap if not boiling right away (make sure to flour lightly first).
Boil the pasta – Working in batches (about 4 sheets at a time), cook in salted boiling water for about 1 minute. Then transfer to a bowl of ice water to rest. Carefully drain the water and lay the pasta between layers of parchment, patting dry as you go. Set aside until needed.
Meanwhile, make the filling – Preheat the oven to 400 deg F. Spread cubed butternut squash on a rimmed sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg and toss until well coated. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, stirring once halfway. Set aside. Reduce oven temp to 350.
In a large bowl combine all sausage ingredients. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, drizzle with olive oil. Add sausage mixture, cook until browned through. Using a slotted spoon transfer sausage to a plate, keeping the oil in the pan.
Return skillet with the sausage drippings to stove over medium high heat. Add chopped onions and garlic, sauté until they start to get soft, about 5 mins. Add diced apple to skillet, sprinkle with salt, cook an additional 5 minutes. Add a splash of white wine to de-glaze the pan, scraping up all the brown bits at the bottom of the skillet. Add the squash and sauté until lightly browned, 1 to 2 more minutes. Add cooked sausage until well combined, set aside.
In a large bowl combine the three cheeses, stir well and set aside.
Make the sauce – Melt the butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and sage, sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Splash with white wine and gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the nutmeg and Parmesan until smooth. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.
Assemble – Butter a large 9 x 14 casserole dish and spread a very thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the dish, set aside.
Lay lasagna noodles flat on a clean work surface. Spread the cheese mixture onto the pasta, followed by some of the filling. Carefully roll the noodles and place in prepared dish, seam side down.
Top lasagnas with remaining cream sauce, 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella and 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan (I totally forgot to do this and I am bummed!). Bake covered at 350 degrees for 15 min, remove cover, and bake for another 20 minutes. To brown the cheese put under the Lo broiler for a few minutes, be sure to keep an eye on it.
Serve hot.
MAKE AHEAD –
Butternut and sausage filling can be made a day ahead.
Assemble and freeze. Bake frozen at 350 degrees covered for 45 minutes, remove cover bake an additional 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Broil on Lo to brown cheese.
One Year Ago – Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells
Two Years Ago – Tips for Leftovers
Three Years Ago – Winter Soups