Butternut Squash Pasta Bake

I'm always trying to think of creative ways to have pasta because the BF doesn't eat tomatoes. Not stewed, canned, roasted, sun-dried, raw, pureed, nada. Which makes pasta night a little challenging - there are only so many times I can happily serve noodles with butter (his favorite) and white sauce (think cheesy, Alfredo, or mushroom soup) is too rich to have often. I was planning to make a butternut squash soup with sausage and mushrooms, but we ended up eating the sausage the night before so I came up with a casserole that was scrumptious and I even have enough leftovers to cover my next few days of packed lunches. It has a lot of little steps but it is well worth the effort!


Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

• 2 medium butternut squashes
• 4 tablespoons butter, separated
• 10-12 white mushrooms (about 1/2 lb)
• 4 cloves garlic
• 6 slices thick cut bacon
• 1 container ricotta cheese (250g)
• 2 large eggs
• Salt, pepper, dried oregano to taste
• 8 cups cooked pasta (like shells, spirals, rigatoni-think sauce holders!)
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Slice the squashes lengthwise and crosswise to have 8 sections of squash total. Pour 1 cup water in a 9x13" glass baking dish, then place the squash flesh side down in the dish (it's ok if it doesn't all fit perfectly, just do the best you can). Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, flip the squash flesh-side up and dab them with 2 tablespoons butter. Season with salt and pepper, cover the dish again and bake for an additional 30 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, remove the stems and peel the mushrooms (or instead of peeling, clean with a moist paper towel). Preheat a large saute pan to medium heat. Add the mushrooms and butter, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and turn the heat to low, cook for 10 minutes. Place the mushroom mixture in a large bowl and set aside.
3. Remove the squash from the oven and let it cool until it can be handled. Use a spoon to scoop the flesh into the mushroom bowl, discard the peel. 
4. Re-heat the saute pan to medium-high heat. Chop the bacon into 1/2 thick slices and add it to the pan, cook until crisp (5-7 minutes). Use a slotted spoon to scoop the bacon into the squash and mushroom mixture, stir to combine everything. 
5. In a small bowl add the ricotta and eggs, beat with a fork for 2-3 minutes, season with salt, pepper, and oregano.
6. Rinse and re-use the dish that you baked the squash in. Grease the pan then add the pasta in an even layer. Scoop spoonfuls of the ricotta over the pasta, gently smoothing it to make it an even layer. Next scoop and smooth the squash mixture across the ricotta. Top with mozzarella.
7. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes, or until top is golden and bubbly. Serve hot! (I topped mine with a drizzle of sriracha for an extra kick, while the BF kept his pure).