Sausage and Butternut Squash Lasagna Roll-Ups

Comfort food at its fall and winter finest.

There are the regular, “it’s just us” weeknight dinners — the ones that are well-balanced and tasty, and ideally take no more than 30 minutes start to finish. Then there are what I call “company dinners,” a.k.a. “Sunday dinners,” a.k.a. “worth the extra time and effort dinners.” This recipe for Sausage and Butternut Squash Lasagna Roll-Ups is more than worth the extra time and effort — and is not even very complicated.

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Is It Lasagna or Lasagne?

Just a fun bit of trivia for anyone who is a food nerd like me. “Lasagne” is an Italian word referring to the type of noodles and a finished dish using lasagne noodles. “Lasagna” is an Italian-American word, referring to the completed, cheesy, layered dish that uses lasagne noodles. Lasagne is also correct in the United States, though lasagna is more common. So now you know.

How to Make This Dish

This dish is all about components plus assembly. But like I said, it will be worth it.

First, put the butternut squash in to roast. While that is happening, make the béchamel (the white sauce we’re going to infuse with garlic and rosemary — yum) and boil your lasagne (not lasagna) noodles. You will also have to cook your sausage and onion in a pan.

Next step, the Sausage and Butternut Squash Lasagna Roll-Ups assembly line. Combine the squash, sausage, and cheese. Lay out three noodles. Spoon a bit of béchamel on each. Spread some of the squash-sausage-cheese filling. Roll. Repeat.

Finally, pour the rest of the white sauce over the rollups, top with cheese, and bake until bubbly delicious.

Recipe Notes: Sausage and Butternut Squash Lasagna Roll-Ups

• I like the idea of roll-ups here for no reason other than they make for a beautiful presentation and are easy to serve and portion. Roll-ups do take a little extra time, though, so feel free to just make regular lasagna strips if you’d like.
• This dish is fairly rich, so I have portioned this as two roll-ups per person, for a total of six servings. But you may need more or less depending on whom you are feeding.
• This recipe will make about 12 roll-ups total, and therefore use only 12 lasagne noodles. But boil the entire pound of noodles anyway, which will give you several leftover. The noodles have a tendency to break or tear. This way, you have a few spare. You may be able to eek out an extra roll-up or two anyway. I like to tear the leftover lasagne noodles toss them in a light tomato sauce for a rustic pasta dish. Waste not.
• Serving suggestions: a crisp green salad would be a perfect balance to this rich dinner.

Wine Pairings

For white, this calls for something with a little body, but not heavy. A lightly-oaked Chardonnay is a classic pairing for butternut squash pastas, but Viognier also would taste amazing with its honeysuckle notes. And for reds, try a California Pinot Noir. This wine will balance the richness but still have enough earthiness and pepper to complement the flavors.

Did you make this lasagna recipe? How did it go?

Print Recipe

Sausage and Butternut Squash Lasagna Roll-Ups

Fall's perfect comfort foods, all rolled into one.

Prep Time45 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Roasting Butternut Squash30 mins

Total Time2 hrs

Course: dinner

Cuisine: American

Keywords:: bechamel, butternut squash, comfort food, fall recipes, lasagna, lasagne, sausage

Servings: 6 people (2 roll-ups each)

Ingredients

For the Roasted Butternut Squash

• 2 pounds diced butternut squash, fresh or frozen
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

For the Béchamel

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 quart (4 cups) milk
• pinch ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, gently smashed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 large sprig rosemary

For the Filling, and to Assemble and Finish

• 1 pound mild Italian sausage, casings removed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 8 ounces (about 2 cups) grated Asiago cheese
• 1 pound lasagne noodles (not no-bake)
• 4 cups béchamel sauce, above

Instructions

For the Roasted Butternut Squash

• Preheat the oven to 425°F and line or grease a half-sheet pan.
• Toss the butternut squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on the sheet pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until soft.

For the Béchamel

• While the squash is roasting, make the béchamel. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly for several minutes, until the color turns pale golden.
• Add the milk in two or three quick additions, whisking between each. Add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, bay leaves, rosemary and garlic. Stir. Bring just to a boil -- careful; it will foam! Whisking, lower to a simmer and let cook for about five minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.
• Strain and reserve.

For the Filling, and to Assemble and Finish

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9 x 13-inch casserole pan.
• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the lasagne noodles until al dente. Drain and reserve.
• While the pasta is cooking, cook the sausage and onion in a wide-bottomed skillet with the two tablespoons of olive oil until the onion is translucent and the sausage is fully cooked, about 10 minutes. Be sure to break up the sausage as much as possible as it cooks. Drain on a sheet pan lined with paper towels until slightly cooled.
• In a large mixing bowl, mix together the drained sausage and onion, the grated asiago cheese, half of the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and the roasted butternut squash.
• Spoon about a cup of béchamel onto the bottom of the greased casserole. Working one lasagne noodle at a time: Lay a lasagne noodle flat on a clean surface. (I use the sheet pan.) Spread a spoonful of béchamel on the noodle. Spread some of the sausage-squash-cheese filling over the noodle, then roll it up as tight as feels comfortable. Gently lay it down in the casserole. Repeat until all of the lasagna rolls are settled snugly in the casserole.
• Pour the remaining béchamel over the roll-ups and sprinkle with the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano and a good few twists of black pepper.
• Bake, uncovered, for about 45 minutes, until bubbling. Let rest 10 minutes, tented with foil, before serving.