Baked Pasta with Butternut Squash and Ricotta

It's no fun when you are home sick. It's even worse when you are recovering from an operation and stuck inside for hours on end. My dear friend Chrissi recently had major surgery (but is bouncing back nicely). So my girls and I decided to make a trek to visit and cheer her up. I offered to make dinner for us all. I wanted to find a recipe that was winter appropriate, yummy and low-fat. I decided to do a search on WeightWatchers.com for a casserole dish. I found this recipe and decided it would be perfect. I'm so glad everyone liked it. I was impressed it was so easy to make and so good too!!



Prep Time - 20 to 30 minutes
Cooking Time - 60 to 90 minutes
Serves - 8
WW Value - 5

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
20 oz butternut squash, fresh, peeled and cubed*
1/8 tsp table salt, for cooking pasta
12 oz uncooked whole-wheat pasta, penne
1 1/4 cup(s) fat-free skim milk
2 Tbsp white all-purpose flour
2 tsp minced garlic - I used a bit more, something like 3 tsp because I love garlic
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste
1 Tbsp thyme, fresh, chopped, divided - I didn't have fresh thyme, so I used dried thyme, only about 1 tsp - not a big fan of thyme
1/2 cup(s) part-skim ricotta cheese
1/3 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese - I used a Parmesan/Romano blend because I think it gives dishes more flavor
1/4 cup(s) chopped walnuts, toasted (see instructions below)


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

Place squash on prepared baking sheet; roast until tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Place in a large bowl and mash (I found mashing a bit difficult so don't worry if you do as well).

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. After squash has been roasting for about 10-20 minutes, cook pasta according to package directions; drain and return to pot.

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 (or 1 tsp dry thyme). Add sauce to pasta; toss to mix and coat.

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 (I skipped this step). Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Note-
Look for a 20 ounce bag/container of fresh, already peeled and cubed squash from your supermarket (I was able to find this at Shoprite). 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.

For Toasted Walnuts:
(I searched online for a method to toast walnuts and after a lot of searching I found a super simple method.)

Spray a small frying pan with cooking spray. Over medium heat, cook walnuts approximately 3 minutes until they are slightly browned. Remove to a plate to cool before adding to recipe.

Happy Cooking!

~J