Recipe 346 - Squash and Pasta Bake

As we move into fall I get excited about cooking with squash again :)

I love the taste of squash and pasta together, the squash makes the pasta so creamy and tasty while being healthy! I saw this recipe and it looked perfect. I saw that some of the reviews called it "bland" which I knew would be perfect for us. As we moved away from processed foods and high sodium I found that our tastes changed and I started really tasting the herbs and natural food flavors. This was one of those cases, the flavors really came out together and it is subtle but so tasty! It was truly a "simple" meal which are the best kind.

I ended up using double the amount of squash. I cut a medium squash in half and roasted it. Once it was sort-of cool I scooped out the squash and mixed it with the pasta. I left out all the salt, figuring the cheese would have enough (it did for our tastes). I used chives as the spice (it was what I had in the garden ready to use) and pinenuts as the nut (all we had on hand).

We all enjoyed this a lot. Even The Dragon had a couple of bites. It was creamy, filling and tasted like fall :) I see this being a staple in the house this fall :)

Baked Pasta with Butternut Squash and Ricotta
from http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/RecipePage.aspx?recipeid=140421

• 2 spray(s) cooking spray
• 40 oz uncooked butternut squash, fresh, peeled and cubed
• 1/8 tsp table salt, for cooking pasta
• 12 oz uncooked whole-wheat pasta, penne
• 1 1/4 soymilk 
• 2 Tbs white all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste
• 1 Tbs fresh thyme, fresh, chopped, divided
• 1/2 cup part skim ricotto cheese
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup pine nuts

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Coat a 2 1/2- to 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Place squash on prepared baking sheet; roast until tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Place in a large bowl and mash.

3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. After squash has been roasting for about 10 minutes, cook pasta according to package directions; drain and return to pot.

4. In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk, flour, garlic, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking frequently; reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in mashed squash and 2 1/2 teaspoons of thyme. Add sauce to pasta; toss to mix and coat.

5. Transfer pasta mixture to prepared baking dish; dot with spoonfuls of ricotta and then sprinkle with Parmesan and walnuts. Bake until top is lightly browned in a few spots, about 15 to 20 minutes; remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon of thyme. Yields about 1 cup per serving.


Servings: 8