Butternut squash bacon pasta bake

You know those eureka, how have I been blind to this moments? No, this recipe isn’t one of those, although it’s perfectly serviceable and has potential to get even better. In this photo above, it’s the plate it’s served on that’s part of the game changer. 

For 12 years, we lived in our house with no dishwasher, wondering why on earth people who sprung for a decent Jenn-Air convection oven and had the kitchen built from scratch didn’t include a dishwasher, for cripes sake. When we finally figured out how to wiggle in an apartment-size model, there were only two options available in this country then that came in stainless steel to match our other appliances. When we tested our plates in the models at the showroom, standard-size plates didn’t fit in the Kitchen-Aid at all, so Miele it was. 

But when I’d tested that plate, I apparently hadn’t spun the rotor and realized that it would clip the top of the plates. They still would fit around it, but at a slant, taking up the space of two slots each. Since that’s an inefficient use of already limited space, most of the time I just washed the larger plates by hand, if I used them. And really, most of the time I just used the slightly smaller dinner plates, which is probably better psychologically for portion control anyway. 

No real hardship, obviously, but when I found out after another 12 years of hand-washing stacks of large plates after parties that my stupid dishwasher rack is ADJUSTABLE!!!!!, well, I feel more than a little stupid, but euphoric at the same time. It’s not like I didn’t read at least part of the manual to figure out how to turn it on (it’s got a hidden panel top and way more settings than I knew what to do with without some homework). But apparently I missed that bit about an adjustable rack. For 12 years.

We finally tumbled to this feature when Dave was browsing German websites, which he often does as a way to increase his reading comprehension and to – usually – annoy me by babbling about German words until my eyes glaze over. Apparently other people have had these same eureka moments about their dishwasher, and perhaps, like me, found out that they could start willy-nilly using seven more kinds of larger plates again. And by larger plates, I mean normal size plates, blast it.

So it was with glee that I pulled out these cheery plates that I have been dutifully handwashing on the rare times I used them. And I’ve never been so happy to load a dishwasher in my life, especially since I discovered that it doesn’t really alter what I can put on the upper racks. God, I’m an idiot. But a happier one. Except now Dave feels totally vindicated about babbling about German websites.

Now, about that recipe.

 

Cheesy butternut squash cavatappi bake

Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens, Sept. 2013

Ingredients

8 ounces cavatappi or elbow macaroni

3 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash

2 tablespoons water

2 slices bacon (or you could make it vegetarian and leave it out)

1 tablespoon butter

2 green onions, sliced

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1½ cups grated fontina cheese

Method

Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Meanwhile, put squash in a microwave safe bowl. Add water. Cover with plastic wrap, making vent holes in the plastic. Microwave on high for 4 minutes. Stir, and recover and cook for another 4 minutes. Mash and set aside.

In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Cut into bite-size pieces when cool enough to handle.

Add butter to bacon drippings. Cook mushrooms and green onions until softened. Add flour and cook, stirring for a minute. Add milk, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until mixture is bubbly and thickened. Remove from heat and stir in squash and pasta, mixing well.

Grease a two-quart baking dish. Put half of pasta mixture into the pan. Top with half the bacon and half of the cheese. Repeat layering.

Bake at 375 for 25 to 30 minutes until cheese is golden and bubbly. Makes 6 moderate servings.

Rating: Not bad. I want to try this again and roast the squash along with some garlic to deepen the flavor, and perhaps add some herbage. But not a bad start at all. Mashed squash makes a nice creamy sauce. 

Maybe next time I'll put it on the Fiestaware plates.