Couture Cannelloni Recipe With Butternut Squash Béchamel: An Award-Winning Pasta Recipe by Craig Couture

I started cooking at an early age and my love for it grew after winning my first cooking competition in my hometown of Clifton Park, N.Y. Since then I have won various competitions and continue to add new flavors and ethnic cuisines to my repertoire. This is my award-winning recipe for cannelloni with butternut squash béchamel. I hope you enjoy making it!

Cuisine: Italian 
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 90 minutes

Ingredients

Butternut Squash Béchamel

• 4 tablespoons butter 
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups 2% milk 
• 2 teaspoons salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper 
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 package (10 ounces) pureed butternut squash 
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cannelloni Filling

• 2 tablespoons EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
• 1 medium yellow onion, minced (approximately 1 cup) 
• 1/2 cup minced baby portabella mushrooms 
• 1/2 cup minced celery 
• 1/2 cup minced carrots 
• 1 pound ground beef 
• 1/2 pound ground pork 
• 1/2 pound ground hot Italian sausage 
• 3 cloves minced fresh garlic 
• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced 
• 1 bay leaf 
• 1/2 cup fresh basil 
• 1/2 cup Italian parsley 
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
• 2 egg yolks 
• 8 thin slices prosciutto 
• 8 sheets fresh pasta dough (store bought or homemade)

Here's how to make it: 

1. Warm the 3 cups of milk in a small pan.
2. Melt the butter in another saucepan, then add the flour. Cook the roux for a couple minutes while stirring. Slowly whisk in the milk that you have warmed in a separate pan. Once combined, add in the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Heat the béchamel over medium heat for 15 minutes.
3. Reserve half the béchamel for the cannelloni filling. With the remaining half, add the butternut squash and Parmesan cheese. Heat until fully combined.
4. Add olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, carrots and mushrooms. Sauté until soft. Add ground beef, pork and sausage. Brown the meat with the vegetable mixture. Add the garlic, rosemary and bay leaf. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Once the meat is cooked through, put the mixture aside in a large bowl to cool. Once cooled, add béchamel that has been set aside, as well as Parmesan cheese, egg yolks, basil and parsley. Mix lightly until fully incorporated.
6. Put the slices of prosciutto on a baking sheet and into a 350-degree F oven for about 8 to 10 minutes or until crispy. Chop the prosciutto into small bits and set aside.
7. Prepare sheets of fresh pasta in 6x8-inch strips. Grease a large high-sided baking dish.
8. Take the individual strips of pasta and roll them full of the meat mixture and set them in the baking dish. Once the baking dish is full, top the cannelloni with any leftover meat mixture and the warm butternut squash béchamel. Heat in a 350 degree F oven for 25 minutes or until the cannelloni is heated through. Sprinkle the top of each serving with a little extra Parmesan, prosciutto bits and chopped fresh basil.
   

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