I  got so many nice messages about my hidden-veggie post I shared last week (gotta trick those toddlers, man!) that I thought I’d keep my sneaky-veggie-hiding streak going today with another easy recipe. I’m always brainstorming dishes that I can make ahead since I do a lot of my recipe testing during Jane’s nap time. If I can find a recipe that works well and can be prepped in advance, I feel like I’ve got a winner. There is nothing better than pulling an already prepped dish out of the fridge and popping it in the oven for dinner. This recipe is perfect for prepping advance: I baked the butternut squash the night before when my oven was already on for another meal, and then I prepped the lasagna filling and pasta quickly during nap time. With everything rolled up and resting in the dish, all I had to do was put it in the oven to get the cheese and sauce bubbly hot, and dinner was on the table. As an added bonus, it’s packed with spinach and butternut squash (hidden, of course, under cheese and pasta). Get the full recipe below!


Butternut Squash and Spinach Rollatini.
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4-5 Servings
 
Ingredients
  • 4 Cups of Butternut Squash, cubed into ½” pieces
  • 2 Cups of Fresh Spinach, roughly chopped
  • 15 oz. Ricotta Cheese
  • ¼ Cup of Parmesan Cheese, plus more for garnishing
  • 2 Tbsp. Fresh Parsley, chopped
  • 1 Tsp. Oregano
  • 1 Tsp. Garlic Powder
  • 1 Tsp. Onion Powder
  • 2 Cups of Marinara Sauce, divided
  • 12 sheets of lasagna noodles (about half a box)
  • Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Add cubed butternut squash pieces to a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast the butternut squash for 25 minutes.
  2. While the butternut squash is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the lasagna noodles to al dente. Drain and set aside.
  3. After the squash is cooked, transfer it to a large bowl and let it cool for 5 minutes and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
  4. Add chopped spinach, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, parsley, oregano, garlic and onion powder to the bowl of cooled butternut squash; stir to thoroughly incorporate all of the ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Lay the cooked lasagna noodles out on your work surface, and spread 2-3 spoonfuls of the ricotta filling across the noodles and then loosely roll them into spirals. Repeat until all of the lasagna noodles are filled and rolled.
  6. In a rimmed casserole dish, pour about 1.5 cups of the marinara sauce on the bottom and arrange the rollatini so that the spirals are facing outward. Use the remaining ½ cup of marinara sauce and lightly drizzle it on top of each lasagna roll.
  7. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, until the cheese and sauce are bubbling warm.
  8. Sprinkle with additional fresh parmesan cheese before serving.

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