New Zealand she responds
Butternut squash is sexy. Wiki tells me she has alter egos in other parts of the world. In Australia and New Zealand she responds to the name butternut pumpkin. What a mysterious vixen! Wherever she goes, she’s always the center of attention whether pureed into a soup (this page) or breaded and fried in our popular tacos (see hotforfoodblog.com). In this recipe she’ll sweep you off your feet enveloped in cannelloni and a creamy béchamel that any nonna would approve of!
MAKES 4 servings; 16 to 20 cannelloni
PREP TIME 45 minutes
COOK TIME 90 minutes
PREP AHEAD
The Parm (this page)
The Mozza (this page)
ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH
2 (2-pound) butternut squashes, peeled and diced (about 8 cups)
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper
BÉCHAMEL SAUCE
½ cup soft tofu
½ cup unsweetened nondairy milk
1 cup low-sodium vegetable stock
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon miso paste
2 teaspoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon olive oil
FILLING
1 cup soft tofu
¾ cup The Parm
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
CANNENOLI
16 to 20 oven-ready cannelloni
1¼ cups The Mozza
8 whole sage leaves
1 to 2 tablespoons The Parm
Ground pepper
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
To roast the squash, toss the diced squash in the olive oil, salt, and pepper and arrange on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes until the squash is golden brown, flipping halfway through the bake time.
Meanwhile, to prepare the béchamel sauce, combine the tofu, nondairy milk, ½ cup of the stock, nutritional yeast, tahini, miso paste, cornstarch, and salt in a blender until very smooth.
Heat a saucepan over medium heat and sauté the shallot, garlic, sage, and nutmeg in the olive oil for about 2 minutes until just softened and fragrant. Lower heat if necessary to prevent the garlic from burning. Add the blended tofu mixture and bring to a low simmer, turning the heat back up if needed. As soon as the sauce starts to bubble, stir in the remaining ½ cup stock and bring to a simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until slightly thicker. Pour the sauce into a wide, shallow baking dish.
Once the butternut squash is roasted, turn the oven down to 350°F. Reserve 1 cup of the squash and set aside.
To make the filling, place the remaining squash in a food processor with the filling ingredients and process until smooth.
To fill the cannelloni, transfer the filling to a ziplock bag and snip off a small piece of one corner. Very slowly squeeze the filling into each cannelloni, generously filling it. Arrange the filled cannelloni in 2 rows of 8 or 10 on top of the sauce in the baking dish, spaced ¼ inch apart.
Coarsely chop the reserved butternut squash and arrange on top.
Distribute The Mozza over each row of cannelloni, allowing the ends of the cannelloni to be visible. Top with the sage leaves.
Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.
Remove the foil and top the cannelloni with The Parm and pepper to taste. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes on the top rack of the oven until the sauce is golden brown. Watch closely so the topping doesn’t burn. You may also need to broil the cannelloni for a few minutes to get The Mozza to brown on top. Serve immediately.
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