Butternut Squash Pasta Bake

Tired of tomatoes? Try topping pasta with creamy low-fat ricotta and sweet roasted butternut squash for a weeknight dinner that’s anything but ordinary.

• Prep: 25 min
• Cook: 1 hr 10 min
• Total: 1 hr 35 min
• Servings: 2
• Cuisine: American
• Difficulty: Easy

Dietary

• Vegetarian
• Nut-Free
• Soy-Free
• Egg-Free
• Pescatarian
• High-Protein
• High-Fiber

Tags

• bake
• healthy
• comfort food
• savory
• quick

Ingredients

• 2.5 cup butternut squash
• 4 ounce whole wheat shell pasta (dried)
• 3 tablespoon shallot (diced)
• 1 tablespoon sage (minced)
• 1 clove garlic
• 0.125 teaspoon salt
• 0.25 teaspoon black pepper
• 0.5 cup vegetable broth (low-sodium)
• 0.75 cup ricotta (low-fat)
• 2 ounce mozzarella (low-fat, grated)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 °F. Cut butternut squash in half and scoop out the seeds.
2. Place the cut sides down in a large baking dish and fill with 1/4 inch water.
3. Bake butternut squash until tender (about 45 minutes).
4. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
5. While the squash bakes, bring a pot of water to a boil.
6. Add pasta and cook until just tender.
7. Drain and set aside.
8. Reduce oven to 375 °F. From the butternut squash, measure out 2 cups of the squash.
9. Place in a food processor along the shallot, sage, garlic, salt, and pepper.
10. Pulse until squash is smooth.
11. Add in low-sodium vegetable broth and pulse until well-combined.
12. In a small baking dish, place a third of the squash purée in the bottom.
13. Add half the noodles, followed by the low-fat ricotta.
14. Top the ricotta with the next third of the sauce, then the remaining noodles.
15. Finish with remaining sauce and low-fat shredded mozzarella.
16. Bake pasta for 25 minutes at 375 °F. Cheese should be browned.
17. Remove and serve warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

• Calories: 515
• Protein: 28.5 g
• Carbohydrates: 69.6 g
• Fat: 16.5 g
• Fiber: 11.2 g
• Sodium: 482 mg
• Saturated Fat: 8.4 g
• Sugar: 7.4 g
• Cholesterol: 47 mg