Butternut Squash Lasagna Rolls

*Updated 9/14/21. You're going to love these Butternut Squash Lasagna Rolls! These lasagna noodles are filled with a ricotta and spinach mixture, then rolled into individual servings of lasagna. They're cooked to perfection in a creamy butternut squash sauce and topped with melty mozzarella. This is a delicious fall or winter lasagna recipe, using fresh butternut squash.

Ingredients

Lasagna Noodles: You can use regular or whole wheat noodles. I like Delallo. Use traditional noodles, as no-boil noodles will not work in this recipe since you have to roll them up.

Olive Oil: To sauté the spinach.

Spinach: Fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped

Cheese: Ricotta Cheese and Mozzarella, because what would lasagna rolls be without cheese! You can use either whole milk or part-skim for both types of cheese.

Egg: This helps bind the cheese and noodles.

Seasoning: Parsley, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Butternut Squash Sauce: A creamy blend of butternut squash puree and parmesan cheese.

Butternut Squash Sauce Ingredients

Butternut Squash: A fresh butternut squash peeled and chopped. A lot of grocery stores sell these already peeled and chopped in the fresh produce section. You could substitute frozen butternut squash or canned butternut squash puree, though fresh will have the best flavor.

Olive Oil: To sauté the shallot and garlic.

Garlic and Shallot: Minced garlic and finely chopped shallot for flavor.

Vegetable Broth: To thin out the butternut squash sauce and give it added flavor.

Parmesan Cheese: This makes the sauce nice and creamy. Freshly shredded so it will melt nicely into the sauce. If you don't use freshly shredded parmesan, it may clump together in the sauce instead of melting into it.

Seasoning: A combination of sage, nutmeg, ginger, salt and pepper.

Step-By-Step Instructions

These Butternut Squash Spinach and Ricotta Lasagna Rolls are easy, but do take a bit of time to make. This is not a quick recipe, but it is well worth the effort.

1. Prepare the Butternut Squash Puree. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the butternut squash. Cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon or drain in a colander. Add to a medium bowl with the vegetable broth, blend until smooth with an immersion blender. (you could also use a regular blender for this step, just be careful since it's hot).
2. Sauté the Spinach. While the butternut squash is boiling, sauté the spinach. In a large skillet, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the baby spinach and cook until wilted, stirring to be sure it cooks evenly, about 2-3 minutes. Set aside to cool.
3. Make the Butternut Squash Sauce. In a large non-stick or ceramic skillet, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and shallot until the garlic is fragrant and shallot is translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add the Butternut Squash puree, sage, nutmeg, ginger, salt and pepper. Thin out to desired consistency with more vegetable broth. Remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese until combined. Set aside.
4. Prepare the Spinach Ricotta Filling. Using a few paper towels or cheesecloth, squeeze out most of the liquid from the spinach. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, spinach, egg, parsley, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
5. Make the Lasagna Rolls. Preheat oven to 350°. Ladle 1 ½ cups of Butternut Squash Sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Lay out the cooked lasagna noodles on a clean towel. Divide the Spinach Ricotta Filling evenly among the rolls. Spread out over each noodle, then roll up. Place each lasagna roll, seam side down, in the baking dish. Top with remaining sauce and mozzarella cheese.
6. Bake. Cover and bake for 45 minutes, until sauce is bubbly. Remove the foil or baking dish cover for the last 5 minutes to be sure the cheese is melted.
7. Serve. Top with your favorite fresh herb (parsley, sage, or basil work great) and serve.

Variation

These Butternut Squash Lasagna Roll Ups are delicious as is. They are a great fall vegetarian recipe, however if you prefer some meat in this dish, add some cooked ground chicken sausage in with the spinach ricotta filling.

More Fall Recipes

• Slow Cooker Fall Harvest Chili
• Apple Arugula Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
• Roasted Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprouts, and Dried Cranberries

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