In autumn, there aren’t many seasonal vegetables, but one of them is really versatile and allows for creativity in preparing various recipes, both sweet and savory. Pumpkin and sausage stuffed cannelloni are a truly flavorful first course, a substantial Sunday dish that will fully satisfy you with its strong yet delicate taste.

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Economical
Preparation time: 1 Hour
Cooking time: 1 Hour
Portions: 6/8 people
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

1.65 lbs Pumpkin (already peeled and seeded)
4 pinches Fine salt
2 pinches Black pepper (ground)
to taste Rosemary
to taste Thyme
to taste Olive oil
14 sheets Egg lasagna (dry – dim. 6.7 x 3.5 inches)
1 lbs Sausage
1.76 oz Onions (1 small)
1 clove Garlic
2.47 oz Emmentaler
1.23 oz Parmigiano Reggiano DOP (grated – plus extra for topping)
2 pinches Fine salt
1 pinch Black pepper (ground)
1 tsp Coarse salt
to taste Olive oil
0.84 cups béchamel

Preparation

For the pumpkin preparation, you can follow the recipe at this link or the instructions below.
Wash the pumpkin, peel it (I used a potato peeler), remove the inner seeds and cut it into slices, place it sideways on the oven tray lined with parchment paper.
Season both sides with thyme, salt, pepper, rosemary, and a little oil, let it rest for about 5 minutes.
Cook for about 30 minutes at 356°F in a fan oven (the time depends on the thickness of the slices, so check with a fork that the pumpkin has softened).
Once the pumpkin is cooked, let it cool and put it in a blender until it becomes a puree.
For the filling preparation: put some oil in a large pan, finely chop the onion and garlic, and sauté them. Add the sausage, after removing the casing, and crumble it as much as possible with your hands. Cook for a few minutes and then let it cool.
Put the minced meat in a bowl, add the pumpkin puree, grated Parmesan, grated Emmentaler (I use a lemon zest grater) and mix the ingredients well.
Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
For the cannelloni preparation: bring plenty of water to a boil in a large pot, add a teaspoon of coarse salt and the lasagna sheets, two at a time. Leave them for a few seconds until they soften, then remove them from the water and place them on a towel to dry.
Take a generous spoonful of filling, place it on the lower edge of the lasagna sheet, and roll up to form small cannelloni.
In a rectangular baking tray of dimensions 12.2 x 9.1 inches greased with a little oil, place the cannelloni (there will be 14), distribute the béchamel on top, and sprinkle with plenty of grated Parmesan.
Cook in the oven at 356°F for about 35 minutes.