Baked Shells with Winter Squash

Thursday, December 10, 2009 by Marianne 3 Comments

This right here may be the perfect late fall/early winter dish – it’s seasonal, warm, comforting, and (most importantly) delicious. Oh, it’s also pretty easy too.

Baked Shells with Winter Squash
Recipe adapted from Everyday Food
(Martha calls it “a grown up alternative to mac-n-cheese.”)

• Butter, for baking dish
• Olive oil
• Dried sage
• 1 large onion, grated
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 pound small pasta shells
• 1 butternut squash
• 3 oz. goat cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Panko

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash in half, remove seeds, and cut in half again. Drizzle olive oil on the squash and rub with sage, salt, and pepper. Roast, cut side down, until soft.

Butter a casserole dish. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions; season with salt and pepper. Cover; cook until onions are soft and release liquid, 15 minutes. Stir in rosemary.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water 2 minutes less than package instructions suggest. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups cooking water. Return pasta to pot.

Stir squash and reserved pasta water into onions; simmer 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup Parmesan and goat cheese to the squash mixture, toss with pasta. Transfer to prepared dish.

Combine panko with remaining Parmesan, season with salt and pepper. Top pasta with panko mixture; bake until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

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