butternut squash – My World (and recipes too)

This is such an unexpectedly light, delicious Fall dish!

I’m about to show you JUST HOW NICE I am! Rather than bore you with a lengthy blog on how to make this delicious recipe, I’m just going to post the photos of the steps and then the recipe. (You can thank my friend and one of Louisville’s most fun radio personalities-JESSE RASMUSSEN from MIX 106.9. -He HATES having to read a long, boring blog just to get to a good recipe!)

Poof! You’re welcome!! Let’s all say it together now, shall we?

THANK YOU JESSE!!!! (cough)

Step ONE: Boil and puree your butternut squash:

Cubed Butternut Squash in Chicken broth.

Okay I lied (just a little bit). When you boil your lasagna noodles don’t forget to salt the water. When they come out, it helps to place them on an oiled sheet pan. I actually rubbed olive oil on my noodles (front and back) so I could layer then on top of each other. It just made everything so much easier to work with AND it keeps them flat.

Freshly boiled lasagna noodles resting on a sheet pan.

Next you make your fillings and set them aside:

Spinach, kale, ricotta, cottage cheese, heavy cream, one egg, lemon zest, S&P, garlic, Italian seasoning.

Sweet Italian sausage & onions. (Let this cool before you start rolling.)

Then coat the bottom of your lasagna pan with about 1/4″ of the butternut squash sauce.

Butternut squash sauce in the bottom of the lasagna pan

Now begin your rollups. First the cheese mixture.

When they’re in the pan, cover them with sauce and freshly grated Parmesan Cheese. Cover LOOSELY with foil before you put this in the oven. (You will bake it a while and then take it out and add the Mozzarella to the top.

Covered in sauce & cheese, ready to bake now.

Ingredients:

Sauce Ingredients:

1 medium/large butternut squash (peeled & cubed)

32oz. Chicken broth

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp. Turmeric

2 Tbsp. red garlic (use granulated garlic if you can’t find red garlic)

2 Tbsp. Italian seasoning

1 Tbsp. Smokey Paprika

1 tsp fresh cracked pepper

Other Ingredients:

1 box lasagna noodles

1 lbs. Sweet Italian sausage (Leave the meat out to make this a vegetarian dish)

1 medium onion (diced)

1 bunch fresh Sage

8 Oz. frozen chopped Spinach

8 Oz. frozen chopped Kale

1 egg

Zest on 1 lemon

16 Oz. full fat small curd cottage cheese

8 Oz. Ricotta cheese

1 cup freshly grated Pecorino-Romano cheese

1 cup heavy cream

16-32 Oz. Grated Mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place the diced squash into a pot and pour in enough chicken stock to just barely cover it. Boil 10-15 minutes until fork tender. Remove from heat. Add in spices and cheese. Using an immersion blender, purée all ingredients. (Yes, you can use a regular blender as well.)

Prepare the noodles according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, brown the sausage & sauté the onions. Stir in freshly chopped Sage at the end. Drain and set aside to cool.

In a bowl, add the cottage cheese, ricotta, heavy cream, egg, Pecorino-Romano cheese, cracked pepper, lemon zest, garlic & Italian seasoning. Drain the thawed, frozen spinach and then squeeze out as much moisture as possible before adding it to the cheese mixture. Combine well.

Carefully drain the pasta and separate the noodles. It helps to coat a sheet Pan in olive oil and then lay the noodles flat on it. You can rub a little olive oil on each to prevent sticking.

Coat the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish with the butternut squash sauce. Now begin assembling the rolls. Lay one noodle out flat, coat it with a layer of the spinach/cheese mixture, then sprinkle on a layer of the sausage & onions. Starting from one end, carefully roll the pasta. Place the roll, seam-side down into the baking dish. Keep making the rolls and placing them until the dish is full. (Should make 9 to 12 rolls depending on how much filling is used.)

Once all the rolls are in the dish, coat the top with more of the sauce. Use enough to completely cover the pasta.

Cover loosely with aluminum foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil. Top with Mozzarella. Bake 5-10 minutes for cheese to melt and brown a little. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley.

Okay I have had a day to feel better about all of the hatred I observed on my Facebook feed Sunday, so I will go back to my original idea of posting about one of my favorite fall soup recipes: Roasted Butternut Squash soup. I can’t think of anything that is easier, more delicious, festive and comforting than this soup.

I was inspired to make it after having spent the weekend reflecting on my favorite things about Fall for another blog I participate in.

Veggie’s all cut up, drizzled in Olive oil and tossed in salt & pepper. Easy Peezy.

After sauteing the onion, I added my stock and other seasonings.

When the vegetable are ready, I add them to the stock and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add the cream, stir and taste. Here is where you might add additional seasoning.

Puree using an immersion blender, a regular blender or a food processor. Return to pot, I topped with smoky paprika for color, but you could use anything you like-even chopped herbs.

Bobbe’s Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients

1 largish butternut squash peeled and cut into chunks

4-5 medium carrots peeled and cut into chunks

1 medium onion chopped

(1) 32oz box of vegetable stock

(1) 15 oz can of chicken stock

¾ c. cream (you can sub Half & Half or leave it out if you don’t do dairy)

3-4 TBSP olive oil

1 TBSP Smoked Paprika

1 TBSP cumin

1 TBSP hot sauce (optional) We like Sriracha.

S & P to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400

Assemble carrots and squash on a sheet tray, drizzle with olive oil, S&P

Roast 30-40 minutes or until you see they are browning just a bit.

Meanwhile saute your onions until translucent in a Dutch oven (I use 1-2 TBSP real butter but you can do it in olive oil too) Remember to salt & pepper your onions.

Add stocks and seasonings to onions. Simmer on low while waiting for veggies to roast.

Add Roasted vegetables to the pot

Add cream & stir.

Lastly, puree the soup using an immersion blender. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, puree using a blender or your food processor.

We like to serve this topped with sour cream, chives, bacon, hot sauce, even shavings of Parmesan cheese; whatever you really like will work, even garlic croutons!