This butternut squash casserole is cheesy, veggie-filled, and loaded with fall flavors like fresh sage and pumpkin!
Servings: 12
Author: Maddie Augustin
Ingredients
1lbpasta of choiceI recommend rigatoni or penne
1medium butternut squash
2cupsspinach
1lbground turkey
1shallotchopped
1/2tbspfresh sage
1/2tspsalt
oil for pan
Sauce:
15ozcan pumpkin puree
3/4cupwhole milk
1/2cupricotta
1/2cupparmesan
Optional: additional 1/2 cup parmesan
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375F.
Prepare butternut squash by slicing off the butt and the stem and peeling the skin. Slice the peeled squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and guts. Cube into roughly 1-inch sized pieces. Drizzle lightly with oil and a pinch of salt, place in an even layer on a baking sheet, and bake for 20 minutes, or until butternut is fork tender.
Meanwhile, preheat medium saucepan to medium heat. Add oil and shallot and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently until shallot is translucent and soft. Add ground turkey, sage, and salt and brown, stirring frequently until turkey is cooked through.
Stir in spinach to turkey and allow to wilt, 1-2 minutes.
Prepare pasta. Fill large stockpot with water and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 1-2 minutes less than required cook time - we don't want the pasta to be overdone when it's baked!
Strain pasta in a large colander and rinse with cold water.
Prepare sauce. Add all sauce ingredients to a small pot over medium-low heat. Allow cheese to melt and sauce to homogenize, stirring frequently for 5-6 minutes.
Add pasta, ground turkey mixture, butternut squash, and sauce to a 9x13 inch pan, top with additional parmesan, and bake uncovered for 25 minutes.