Butternut Squash Lasagna Roll-Ups with Corn Puree & Barlett Pears

Autumn brings about squash and gourds season! I began my butternut squash marathon by using a leftover sheet of fresh lasagna pasta and created these beautiful pinwheels. Think of it like a hot and cooked version of a lunch wrap. They are so easy to put together and the possibilities of filling combinations are endless. Plus, these roll-ups look super impressive, even if I must say so myself.

Butternut Squash Lasagna Roll-Ups with Corn Puree & Barlett Pears

Inspiration for this dish came from this month's issue of Fresh Juice magazine, Super-Green Pinwheels with Minted Pea Puree. I really love reading this relatively new-on-the-market magazine by President's Choice. Especially since my mom gets every issue free in the mail because she holds their credit card. Anyways, how did I do with recreating this? Does it look similar? :D

The flavours are simple and speak for themselves. Roasting the squash gives it the warm and cozy feeling, the ricotta provides that creaminess we all know in a lasagna and the basil is there for a pungent yet fresh punch of flavour. All the flavours blend together and melts in your mouth. 

I chose to experiment with slices of squash in the roll-ups. Mainly because it would cook faster in the oven; I can get rather impatient on a hungry stomach. The result was a little drier than a normal lasagna is, missing the sauce and loads of cheese. In Fresh Juice's version, they pair their lasagna rolls with a pea puree. Using that idea, I made a simple 'sauce' of pureed cooked corn kernels (and cheated by using the canned variety) to add some necessary moisture. Very basic but did the job of adding moisture, flavour, and decoration well. Maybe next time I will puree the squash to fill the pasta; this will also help retain some moisture.

This entree (or potential appetizer?) is borderline crossing into the sweet territory. Butternut squash, corn, and barlett pear can all be used in sweet recipes. But being someone with a sweet-tooth, I have no problem with my dinner being a little sweeter than usual ;)

Butternut Squash Lasagna Roll-Ups with Corn Puree & Barlett Pears

The colours on my plate look more summer-y than fall, but that just means this recipe can be altered according to what ingredients are fresh and in season. Switch up the fillings and the herbs, there are bound to be tons of delicious combinations out there!

Butternut Squash Lasagna Roll-Ups with Corn Puree & Barlett Pears

Inspired by Fresh Juice

Serves 1

Ingredients

• 1 sheet of fresh lasagna
• about ⅛ of a small butternut squash
• 1 tsp coconut oil, melted
• Pink Himalayan sea salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
• ½ fresh barlett pear
• ½ cup of corn niblets, canned, fresh or frozen
• ¼ cup ricotta cheese (low fat is okay)
• about 6 basil leaves, chiffonaded + mini ones for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Peel butternut squash skin off with a vegetable peeler. De-seed and cut into paper-thin slices.
3. Toss squash slices with melted coconut oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread squash in a single layer (or as best you can) onto prepared baking sheet and roast until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Avoid over-baking and turning them into chips!
4. Meanwhile, in a flat frying pan, bring about 1 inch of water to a boil. Cook lasagna sheet for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and place on an oiled or parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
5. In a small bowl or custard cup, mix together ricotta and chiffonaded basil. Spread onto cooked lasagna sheet, leaving a 3 inch boarder on one of the shorter ends. This will help seal the pasta later. 
6. Arrange roasted squash slices over ricotta cheese and roll lasagna up tightly (unlike me) like a sushi roll. Cut into 6 or 8 equal pieces with a sharp knife.
7. Place lasagna roll-ups cut-side up on the same baking sheet and bake at the same temperature (400°F) for 20 minutes.
8. While roll-ups are baking, slice pear into paper-thin pieces and arrange onto serving plate. The left-over slices of squash can be used to decorate too!
9. In a food chopper or processor, puree cooked corn niblets until mostly smooth. Spoon over pear, or use for desired decoration.
10. Once finished, plate baked lasagna roll-ups and garnish with a few whole corn niblets and some mini basil leaves. 

Love from Coconut Crumpet's Corner ♡