Sometimes I pretend I’m on the show Chopped and I try to use ingredients in an innovative way. Like lasagne noodles for example. Why lay flat, when you can roll, baby.

Thaz right. The layers in this lasagne aren’t lookin’ like a sedimentary rock, nuh uh. They are more like a snail shell. Yah feel me?!

This is a lasagne revolution – the pasta sheet laid out, smothered with the toppings and then rolled up into a cute little present that takes a bath in squash. I mean sauce. I mean squash sauce. And, although I love the standard tomato sauce with all of my heart, squash sauce is my side piece and needs attention, too.

Okay, for reals – this lasagne dish is everything. It starts with the creamy sauce. Roasted butternut squash, pureed and then hit with some garlic, coconut milk and flavourful pasta water – an important ingredient for any great sauce. Nutritious kale and fluffy, whipped ricotta cheese on top of a perfectly cooked lasagne noodle, rolled up and finished off together in the oven with some extra parm on top for that nuttiness. DROOL.

This should be your next pasta night recipe.

Butternut Squash and Kale Lasagne Roll-Ups

Servings: Makes 10 rolls (feeds about 3 people)

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 large butternut squash, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• 5 large kale leaves, thick stem removed (I prefer Tuscan Kale)
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice + more for serving (optional)
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1/4 tsp fresh (or packaged) nutmeg
• 10 lasagne sheets
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup canned coconut milk
• 1 cup fresh parmesan or mozzarella cheese, shredded
• fresh basil for topping (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place the squash onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 1-2 tbsp olive oil and add a generous pinch of salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper. Toss with your hands until coated and roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes, flipping once throughout the cooking time. Squash should be tender throughout.
3. Lower the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. While the squash is cooking, prepare your other ingredients. Chop the kale into small, bite-size pieces and massage with a little bit of olive oil. This helps to tenderize the kale.
5. Use an electric mixer to beat the ricotta with 1 tbsp of lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Whip until smooth.
6. Add the cooked squash to a food processor with the vegetable stock, nutmeg, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Blend until smooth.
7. In the meantime, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil and add the lasagne sheets. Cook according to package directions. Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water before draining.
8. Set a large, oven-safe saucepan over medium-low heat and add 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Immediately add the squash puree from your food processor as well as the reserved pasta water and let simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour in the coconut milk and stir until smooth.
9. Make the rolls by taking a sheet of the cooked lasagne, spreading the ricotta mixture on it, topping with a few pieces of kale and then rolling it up, starting at one end and working your way to the other. Tuck the roll into the squash sauce, placing the side with the seam down. Do this for all of the rolls.
10. Evenly distribute the cheese overtop of the rolls and sauce. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted. Remove and let cool a few minutes before serving. Top with fresh basil and a squeeze of lemon!