Butternut Squash Lasagna Roll-ups

Probably one of my favorite tastes is a nutty, orange squash recipe...something slightly sweet and savory, with an earthy goodness (lame descriptor, but it's so true!). Pumpkin and butternut squash are my faves. If my mother read this, she'd probably let out a big, exhausted sigh of disbelief and roll her eyes. She spent much of my childhood relentlessly trying to get me to eat squash. It didn't matter how creative the recipe, I was having no part of all that. Now, I can't get enough...funny how tastes change over time. Sorry, Mom!

But I digress...

I wanted a quick recipe to satisfy my sudden squash craving tonight, and was pleased to find something that didn't require me trying to get all crazy and make my own pasta/ravioli. The recipe: Butternut Squash Lasagna Roll-ups, courtesy of this blog.

The recipe seemed pretty straight forward and quick, and I only needed two ingredients from the store. I got home from the store, gathered up my ingredients and started reading, only to discover the recipe called for COOKED squash..uh oh.

Every recipe I could find urged the reader to roast the squash in the oven....I don't have time for all that if I have any desire to keep my husband from turning into Betty White. Since I didn't have any Snickers on hand (get it?), I started to scour the internet for a quick alternative. There were a few microwave options, however, our microwave blew up (true story) about a week ago and we haven't gotten our new one installed. Insert plan B: "Cant I Cook This Squash Like A Potato??"

I split in half, cored, and peeled the outside skin from the squash, and then cut each half into 4 or 5 long spears to help speed up the cooking process, and in they went into the boiling water. After 10 minutes, they were the perfect softness to mash for this recipe! 

And, without further delay:

Butternut Squash Lasagna Roll-ups

Yield: Make 9-12 Lasagna Roll-ups

Ingredients

• 3 T. butter
• 1/4 c. flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• dash nutmeg
• salt to taste
• 2 cups finely pureed cooked butternut squash, well salted
• 9-12 lasagna noodles, cooked
• 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and butter a baking dish (pie plate, cake pan... doesn't matter).

In a medium sauce pan melt the butter over medium heat. When the butter is melted add the flour and stir to combine. Let the butter and flour cook for 30 seconds. Slowly whisk the milk into the butter and flour mixture. Add the dash of nutmeg and salt to taste (you'll need quiet a bit of salt, around 1/2 tsp). Whisking often, cook over medium heat until the mixture starts to bubble. Allow the mixture to cook for 2 additional minutes and remove from the heat. Add more salt to taste.

To assemble the lasagna roll-ups, lay out the cooked lasagna noodles on your counter top. Spread around 2 tablespoons of the squash puree over the top the entire length of the lasagna noodles. You make have a little left over, feel free to distribute the remaining puree over the noodles or enjoy for a little pre-dinner snack. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese all over the squash puree.

Starting at one end of the noodle roll it up like a cinnamon roll or jelly roll. Place the rolled noodle in the greased baking dish with the end of the noodle on the bottom so they don't flap open. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Once all of the noodles are in the baking dish pour the white sauce you made on the stove evenly over the top of all the lasagna roll-ups. Sprinkle the dish evenly with mozzarella cheese and bake for 20-30 minutes until the cheese is melted and everything is hot and bubble. Allow the dish to rest for 5 minutes before serving hot.

Notes:

Salt is very important in this dish. The flavors are very mild and light, so under-salting will lend to a very bland dish. I use pink Himalayan salt, a genius discovery courtesy of my mom-in-law, which has a much stronger flavor, without that "salty" aftertaste. Try it. I highly recommend it.