Butternut And Boursin Shells Recipes

BUTTERNUT-SQUASH PASTA SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using a large, sharp knife, trim ends; halve squash crosswise to separate bulb from neck. Peel with a vegetable peeler. Cut both pieces in half lengthwise. With a spoon, scoop out seeds; discard.
• Cut squash into 2-inch chunks; transfer to a small rimmed baking sheet. Toss with oil and sage; season generously with salt and pepper. Scatter garlic around squash. Roast until squash is very tender, about 40 minutes, tossing once halfway through. Remove and discard skin from garlic.
• Transfer squash and garlic to a food processor; puree. With motor running, add half-and-half through the feed tube; process until smooth. Add 1 to 2 cups water; continue to process until smooth, adding water to thin if necessary. Season again generously with salt. (To freeze, see below.)
• Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot. Pour sauce over pasta; toss to coat. Add some pasta water to thin sauce if necessary. Serve with desired toppings.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH-STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Add the squash, shallot and garlic to a baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and toss to combine. Sprinkle with the thyme, sage, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper and toss again. Roast until the squash is tender and light golden, about 30 minutes. Let cool.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil; add salt. Add the pasta shells and cook until al dente according to the package directions. Drain and let cool.
• Squeeze the roasted garlic into a small food processor or blender, add the squash, shallot and vegetable broth and puree until smooth.
• Mix together the spinach, cream cheese, ricotta, red pepper flakes, 2/3 cup of the Parmesan and 1 tablespoon salt in a large bowl. Stuff about 2 tablespoons of the spinach mixture into each shell; set aside.
• Add the pureed squash mixture, heavy cream and butter to a large skillet over medium heat. Cook, whisking frequently, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the nutmeg, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and the remaining 1 1/3 cups Parmesan.
• Spread the cheese sauce into the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange the stuffed shells in the baking dish seam-side up, shingling them so they all fit (you should have 5 shells along the short side and 6 shells along the long side). Top with the mozzarella. Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Top with more Parmesan and sage before serving.

BUTTERNUT-AND-BOURSIN SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Using the large holes of a box grater,shred squash until you have 5 cups; cut remaining squash into1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups). On a rimmed baking sheet, tosssquash cubes with 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper.Spread in a single layer and roast until tender and browned, about25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted wateraccording to package instructions. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups pastawater. Heat a large straight-sided skillet over medium-high. Addremaining 2 tablespoons oil and shredded squash; cook, stirringoccasionally, until caramelized in spots, 10 minutes. Transfer toa blender with reserved pasta water and half of cheese; blenduntil smooth.
• Return blended sauce to skillet; stir in pasta and roasted squash.Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, topped witharugula, hazelnuts, small dollops of remaining cheese, and adrizzle of oil.