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Baked Pasta with Butternut Squash and Ricotta

6
Total Time
1 hr 25 min
Prep
25 min
Cook
1 hr
Serves
8
Difficulty
Moderate
This pasta casserole is a hearty yet elegant combination of whole wheat penne, rich butternut squash, toasted walnuts, ricotta and Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients

cooking spray

2 spray(s)

uncooked butternut squash

20 oz, fresh, peeled and cubed*

table salt

⅛ tsp, for cooking pasta

uncooked whole wheat pasta

12 oz, penne

fat free skim milk

1¼ cup(s)

white all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp

minced garlic

2 tsp

table salt

½ tsp

black pepper

¼ tsp, freshly ground, or to taste

fresh thyme

1 Tbsp, fresh, chopped, divided

part-skim ricotta cheese

½ cup(s)

grated Parmesan cheese

⅓ cup(s), Parmigiano-Reggiano recommended

chopped walnuts

¼ Tbsp, toasted

Instructions

  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.

Notes

*Look for a 20 ounce bag of fresh, already peeled and cubed squash from your supermarket. If you can't find any, cut a medium squash in half lengthwise and place cut-side down on prepared baking sheet; roast until tender, about 45 minutes. Scoop squash out of skin into a large bowl, mash with a spoon and proceed as above.Alternatively, you can microwave cubed squash, covered, in a shallow microwave-safe baking dish or container with 1/4 cup of water, until cooked through; mash squash in a bowl.

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