Throwback Thursday, Butternut Squash Cannelloni
Butternut Squash is such a wonderful and versatile vegetable
Today’s recipe is simple enough for everyday,
but is also dinner party worthy!
Creamy butternut squash and ricotta is wrapped with fresh spinach
in a fresh pasta sheet and drenched with a brown butter sage sauce~
Yes please!
It is light for a pasta dish and full of flavor
If you have ever tried to cut a fresh butternut squash
you know that it is very difficult
Luckily it is often available already cut up in the produce department,
but here’s a tip if you want to cut it yourself
Pierce the squash in multiple places as you would a baked potato
Please pierce it so it doesn’t explode
Microwave for 5 minutes on high
You should be able to cut into it much more easily now
Slice it in half and remove seeds
Place halves on a parchment paper lined baking sheet
drizzle with olive oil and season with salt & pepper
Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour
Flesh will be soft and easily pierced with a knife
Scoop out pulp
Place in food processor with ricotta, egg, cheese, zest, seasonings
Puree until smooth
Now it’s ready to put together
I used fresh lasagna sheets for fast and easy assembly
Slather them with some butternut squash mixture
Top with a layer of spinach leaves
Roll up and snuggle them into a greased casserole dish,
seam side down
Melt butter, add sage leaves and cook until they crisp
It only takes a minute for the sage to crisp up
Push the sage leaves aside and spoon the butter over filled cannelloni
Sprinkle a little Parmesan on them
Cover and refrigerate at this point until ready to bake, if desired
After baking garnish with warm sage leaves
Serve 2-3 cannelloni per person
This recipe is adapted from Proud Italian Cook
BUTTERNUT and SPINACH CANNELLONI with BROWN BUTTER SAGE
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash
- 1 package of good quality pre-made pasta sheets
- 1 lb. ricotta drained of liquid
- fresh spinach leaves about 1/4 bag
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese divided
- 1 egg slightly beaten
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped and smashed
- salt and pepper to taste
- zest of 1/2 lemon
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 10 sage leaves
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Cut squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds.
- Add squash to a parchment lined baking sheet then drizzle both halves with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast until tender and knife tip goes through easily, about 45-60 minutes.
- Let it cool completely then scoop out the flesh and discard the skin.
- Add ricotta, egg, 1/2 cup grated cheese, garlic, zest and squash into a food processor and pulse, just until mixed. You can also whip it all together by hand.
- For assembly, cut pasta sheet in half, my package had 7 sheets yielding 14 cannelloni. Spread with a layer of filling, top with spinach leaves and then roll up placing them seam side down on a buttered baking dish.
- For the sauce, melt butter in a sauce pan on medium until bubbly and golden brown, throw in all 10 sage leaves, let them sizzle and get crisp.
- Take sauce off heat and squeeze in juice from 1/2 lemon.
- Push sage to the side of the pan to reserve, spoon sauce on top of each shell and sprinkle each with grated parmesan or romano.
- Loosely cover with foil and place in 400 oven until filling is cooked, around 15-30 minutes, depending on if dish has been refrigerated prior to baking.
- Top cannelloni with warm sage leaves before serving. Serves 4-6
Enjoy!
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Comments
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Have been eating lots of pumpkins and squashes lately…this looks so flavoursome and tasty, Jenna.
angiesrecipes
http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com
Tis the season for all things pumpkin and squash! Thanks Angie!
This is the perfect autumn meal. Love the combination of all these flavors.
Thank you Bernadette, it’s nice and light too~
Autumn on a plate, Jenna! I love butternut squash. Pasta is always a favorite at our house. Happy Thursday 🍁🧡🍂
Thank you Pam, it’s flavorful and lighter than a lot of pasta meals.
This looks like the perfect fall dish! (The hardest part is cutting the squash!)
I agree, but my grocery sells it already cut up 🙂
This looks absolutely delicious Jenna! The season at its best.
Thank you Dorothy, I love fall foods!
Jenna, this is the perfect autumn meal. It sounds and looks delicious. Happy Thursday, sweet friend!
Thank you Shannon, I hope you’re having a wonderful October!
Oh my goodness Jenna. This looks and sounds perfect! I love cannelloni and everyone here loves squash! I am definitely pinning this recipe and thank you for sharing.
P.S. I received this in my email inbox this morning so does that mean I have finally successfully subscribed? Yay! Happy Thursday to you!!
Oh good, thank you Kim!!
Yum Jenna! Thank goodness for butternut squash already cubed in the produce department. Happy Friday ♥
Yes, so convenient!!!
I need to try this one – sounds awesome. Thank you
I visited you via Home Matters Linky Party #450. I linked up this week with = 51+52.. Come and join us at SeniorSalonPitStop. You will find the linkup information under BLOGGING.
Thank you Esme, it’s a lovely fall dish!
This is a new-to-me dish and it looks terrific. The ricotta and squash mixture in the food processor looks so good I think I could eat it straight from the bowl!
This is a new-to-me dish and it looks terrific. I think I could eat the ricotta and squash mixture straight from the bowl!
Thank you Linda, it’s nice and light for a pasta dish too 🙂
This looks appetizing!
Thank you Mary 🙂
What an amazing recipe! It looks so delicious and comforting.
Thank you, I adore butternut squash, it’s so versatile!
What a neat autumn twist you have put on Cannelloni! Looks delicious!
Thanks so much Leslie, it’s light too~
The cannelloni sound fantastic Jenna. Do they stay soft or do they get a little crispy after baking?
Thank you Karen, they stay mostly soft because of the butter sauce and baking covered with foil
Thank you Jenna, I’m looking forward to trying them.
That dish looks absolutely delicious!!
Thanks so much Joanne!
I love browned butter with sage!! This recipe looks amazing. Thanks for sharing at the What’s for DInner party – hope your week has started off great!
Thank you Helen, I love butternut squash~
We sure have enjoyed featuring your awesome post at Full Plate Thursday, 662. Thanks so much for sharing with us and hope you will come back to see us soon!
Miz Helen
Thank you Miz Helen!