Roasted Squash Shells And Cheese Recipes

ROASTED SQUASH SHELLS AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Set an oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Spread the squash and onion on the sheet pan and drizzle with the olive oil. Season with 1 1/4 teaspoons of salt, a couple turns of black pepper, paprika, dried mustard and nutmeg and toss to coat. Roast until the squash is tender and the edges are starting to brown, begin checking at 20 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until tender but slightly toothsome, 6 to 7 minutes. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of pasta water and set aside. Drain pasta and return the pot to the stove.
• Combine the squash, vegetable broth, and half of the pasta water in a high powered blender until super smooth. Transfer to the pot and slowly bring up to a simmer. Add the cheese, whisking over low to medium heat until completely melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Thin out with additional pasta water if it is too thick. Add the pasta and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with lots of Sriracha on top.

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.