Butternut squash pasta

 

It only looks like it's loaded with Cheddar.

Butternut squash pasta
Adapted from “The Healthy Carb Diabetes Cookbook” by Jennifer Bucko and Lara Rondinelli

Ingredients
1 pound rotini or rotelle or other short pasta, preferably whole wheat
1 large butternut squash (about 2 pounds), sliced in half lengthwise, seeds removed
Olive oil
8 ounces ricotta cheese
¾ cup skim milk
4 ounces light cream cheese, cubed
¼ cup grated Parmesan, plus more for optional garnish
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Sage leaves, optional garnish

Method
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Drizzle cut sides of squash with some olive oil. Place cut side down on baking sheet and bake for 45 to 50 minutes until soft. Remove flesh from peel, mash and set aside. (This step can be done ahead.)

Meanwhile, cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain, reserving pasta water to be used as needed.

In a large deep pan, combine ricotta, skim milk and cream cheese until cheese is melted. Add squash, Parmesan, cayenne, black pepper, nutmeg and salt to taste. Cook until heated through. Stir in drained pasta and enough reserved cooking liquid to make desired level of sauciness.

Serve topped with additional grated Parmesan and sage leaves if desired.

The original recipe calls for whole wheat pasta, which I did not have on hand, and for low-fat options of the dairy products. Probably the main way they make it be healthy is by indicating that it serves 9. More realistic human proportions would indicate it serves 6-ish.

Rating: We both had the same thought upon first bites: This is just like eating macaroni and cheese. I get that it is pasta with cheese, but the color from the squash makes it look like you're eating something much more akin to cheddar than you really are, and adds a bit of richness. Also like many macaroni and cheese recipes, it's pretty low key in the flavor department, but I put this in the keeper pile just because it can be a fairly fast fix, if you preroast and smash the squash, and it's another decent way to use up butternut squash.