Best Baked Shells With Winter Squash Recipes

BAKED SHELLS WITH WINTER SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions; season with salt and pepper. Cover; cook until onions are soft and release liquid, 15 minutes. Uncover; raise heat to medium. Cook, stirring, until onions are browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon rosemary.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water 2 minutes less than package instructions suggest. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups cooking water. Return pasta to pot.
• Stir squash and reserved pasta water into onions; simmer 2 minutes. Toss squash mixture and 1/2 cup Parmesan with pasta. Transfer to prepared dish.
• Combine bread cubes with remaining Parmesan, rosemary, and oil; season with salt and pepper. Top pasta with bread cubes; bake until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

BAKED SHELLS WITH WINTER SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions; season with salt and pepper. Cover; cook until the onions are soft and release their liquid, about 15 minutes. Uncover; raise the heat to medium. Cook, stirring, until the onions are browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the rosemary.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water for 2 minutes less than the package instructions suggest. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot.
• Stir squash and reserved pasta water into the onions; simmer for 2 minutes. Toss the squash mixture and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan with the pasta. Transfer to the prepared dish.
• Combine the bread cubes with the remaining Parmesan, rosemary, and oil; season with salt and pepper. Top the pasta with the bread cubes; bake until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Substituting Fresh Squash
• Roast whole winter squash on a rimmed baking sheet, turning occasionally, until very tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour, depending on the size of the squash. When cool enough to handle, halve the squash lengthwise and scrape the flesh into a food processor (discard the skin and seeds). Purée until smooth. You will need 2 cups (from about 3/4 pound squash).

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND SAUSAGE STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. On a foil-lined baking sheet, toss squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Roast squash, stirring halfway through, until tender and starting to caramelize, 40 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl; roughly mash. Reduce heat to 350°., Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain., In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook sausage and 1 cup onion, crumbling meat, until no longer pink. Add baby kale; cook until kale is tender, 3-5 minutes. Mix with squash. Stir in 4 ounces goat cheese., In same skillet, heat remaining olive oil. Add remaining onion; cook until softened, 3-5 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Add tomatoes, sage and sugar; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes. Cool about 5 minutes. Pulse in a blender until combined. Add half-and-half; pulse until smooth. Pour about half of sauce in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish., Stuff each shell with about 2 tablespoons squash mixture; arrange in the baking dish. Pour remaining tomato sauce over shells; top with remaining goat cheese. Bake, covered, until beginning to bubble, 20 minutes. Remove cover; bake another 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

WINTER SQUASH CASSEROLE WITH ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Place squash cubes in a large mixing bowl.
• In a small bowl, whisk together flour and cornstarch, then whisk in ginger, salt and pepper. Add half the dry ingredients to the squash and toss gently but thoroughly to combine. Add remaining dry ingredients and toss again until evenly coated. Add garlic, parsley, rosemary and 1/3 cup oil. Toss gently but thoroughly to coat.
• Transfer squash to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until tender. Uncover and bake until very soft, another 45 to 60 minutes. (The casserole can be cooled and refrigerated at this point for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before resuming.)
• To finish, brown the top: Turn oven to 350 degrees. (Alternatively, turn oven to 325 degrees with convection, or use the broiler.) Heat squash until sizzling on the bottom and crusty on the top, about 10 minutes. (If reheating from room temperature, it will take longer, 20 to 30 minutes.) Serve immediately.