Marisa's Italian Kitchen

The Secret Ingredient Is Always Love

butternut squash

Butternut Squash Paccheri Pasta Bake

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This elegant Butternut Squash Paccheri Pasta Bake will take center stage at your next family gathering or celebratory meal. A comforting and eye pleasing pasta dish made with oven roasted butternut squash, baby arugula and a creamy cheese sauce with a hint of rosemary.

Butternut Squash Paccheri Pasta Bake

We celebrated hubby’s birthday last weekend and I say weekend because Saturday was reserved for chocolate profiterole cake…yum… and Sunday, this stunning Butternut Squash and Paccheri pasta cake!

This was a special request from hubby after returning home one evening with the latest “Bon Appétit” magazine featuring a baked pasta dish made with peas and mint and largely resembling a cake.

I’ve made a few changes to the recipe mainly by replacing the peas with some seasonal and sweet oven roasted butternut squash which I then tossed with the cooked pasta. I also substituted the mint with some chopped rosemary however sage would work wonderfully as well.

Since I couldn’t come across Fontina cheese in my area, I replaced it with freshly grated Asiago cheese, a cow’s milk cheese which melted beautifully in the silky smooth sauce. The aromas where simply wonderful!

Butternut Squash Paccheri Pasta Bake

I was almost tempted to line my springform pan with parchment paper for easier release of the pasta cake but I’m so glad I didn’t because buttering the pan and then sprinkling it all around with Parmesan cheese will give you that beautiful crusty exterior we all love so much.

There won’t be any fighting for the crusty end pieces with this dish for sure!

You’ll also want to save some roasted butternut squash for garnishing the pasta cake!

Butternut Squash Paccheri Pasta Bake

So, if you have a birthday coming up soon and you LOVE pasta then this Butternut Squash Paccheri Pasta Bake is definitely for you!

Butternut Squash Paccheri Pasta Bake

But why wait for your birthday! Make it this weekend, take a photo and tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

Happy cooking!

Butternut Squash Paccheri Pasta Bake

Butternut Squash Paccheri Pasta Bake
Print Recipe

Butternut Squash Paccheri Pasta Bake

This elegant Butternut Squash Paccheri Pasta Bake will take center stage at your next family gathering celebrations. Its creamy, cheesy and so easy to make.
Course: Pasta
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 6 -8 servings
Author: Marisa

Ingredients

  • 4 cups diced butternut squash
  • olive oil for drizzling over butternut squash
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter plus more for greasing the pan
  • 1/3 cup plus 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese divided
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 4 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup grated Asiago cheese
  • 1 large egg lightly beaten
  • fine sea salt or kosher salt to your taste
  • freshly ground pepper to your taste
  • 500 grams paccheri pasta or rigatoni
  • 4 cups baby arugula
  • 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Place the chopped butternut squash on a parchment lined baking sheet.
  • Drizzle with olive oil, a dash of salt and pepper and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until fork tender.
  • Set the cooked butternut squash aside while continuing with the rest of the recipe.
  • Butter a 9 inch springform pan with softened butter.
  • Sprinkle the pan all over with 1/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese and set aside.
  • In a large saucepan, melt 1/4 of the butter over medium heat.
  • Add the all purpose flour to the melted butter and cook while whisking for 2 minutes.
  • Slowly whisk in the milk.
  • Reduce the heat slightly and let he sauce simmer while whisking often, until the sauce has thickened, for about 20 minutes.
  • Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the Asiago cheese and 1 cup of the Parmesan cheese.
  • Whisk in the lightly beaten egg and season with salt and pepper.
  • Cover the saucepan and keep warm.
  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta just until al dente or firm to the bite.
  • Drain the pasta and transfer to a large bowl.
  • Add the cooked butternut squash, arugula, parsley and rosemary to the pasta bowl.
  • Stir in the cheese sauce until well combined.
  • Transfer half of the pasta mixture to the prepared springform pan.
  • In a small bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese and lemon zest then spoon half over the pasta.
  • Transfer the remaining pasta into the pan and spoon the remaining ricotta mixture over the pasta.
  • Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese and bake for about 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
  • Let the baked pasta rest for about 1/2 hour before releasing from the pan.
  • Cut into wedges and serve.

 

Easy Roasted Turkey Roulade

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Easy Roasted Turkey Roulade with butternut squash, kale and spicy Italian sausage makes a crowd-pleasing elegant meal for Thanksgiving or any special occasion.

Easy Roasted Turkey Roulade

I have a confession to make! I’ve never cooked a whole turkey and I really don’t know why, except maybe to say that I find it a little bit intimidating to cook a whole bird. I know…crazy right!

Mostly though, my family prefers white meat and if you do as well then you’ll appreciate how easy it actually is to make a turkey roulade such as this one.

Aside from being far easier to prepare, it’s also much healthier and made even more so by omitting the skin. But, I’ll have you know that there is no skimping on flavor here. This delicious turkey roulade is packed full of nutrient dense vegetables such as kale and butternut squash and livened up with some spicy Italian sausage.

For some aromatic allure I’ve added fragrant rosemary and sage to both the stuffing and the organic chicken broth.

Easy Roasted Turkey Roulade

My intent was to make this recipe more of a step by step tutorial for beginners. However, daylight savings time had other plans for me. I was quickly losing some valuable natural lighting here. But at least I get to show you how a butterflied turkey breast looks like.

Purchasing a deboned, skinless and butterflied turkey breast really simplifies the whole process. All I did was lay it out between two sheets of saran wrap and pounded the meat with a meat mallet to about 1/2 inch thickness. I then spread the stuffing onto the turkey breast to about 1 inch from the borders. Rolled it up…tied it up…and voila!

Here you have a succulent rolled up Easy Roasted Turkey Roulade!

Easy Roasted Turkey Roulade

The key to having a moist and tender meat is to baste the turkey every 15 minutes with the chicken broth.

Easy Roasted Turkey Roulade

You will be rewarded with a delicious, mouthwatering meal and will make you wish that you had doubled the recipe!

Easy Roasted Turkey Roulade

Buon Appetito!

Easy Roasted Turkey Roulade
Print Recipe

Easy Roasted Turkey Roulade

Easy Roasted Turkey Roulade with butternut squash, kale and spicy Italian sausage makes an elegant meal just perfect for any special occasion.
Course: supper
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 4
Author: Marisa

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 cup diced onion
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1 cup diced butternut squash
  • 2 cups chopped kale
  • 1 teaspoon fresh sage chopped (plus a few whole sprigs for pan)
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme plus a few whole sprigs for pan
  • salt and pepper to your taste
  • 8 ounces spicy Italian sausage casing removed (about 1 cup measure)
  • 1 2 1/2 pounds skinless turkey breast, bones removed and butterflied
  • 2 cups sodium reduced, organic chicken broth

Instructions

  • LETS MAKE THE STUFFING
  • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and sauté the onions for a few minutes till the onions are soft.
  • Add in the garlic, butternut quash, kale, the fresh sage, thyme and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Stir the vegetable mixture and continue to sauté for about 5 minutes or till the butternut squash is soft and the kale has wilted.
  • Set aside while you prepare the turkey breast.
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Place the butterflied turkey breast between 2 sheets of saran wrap and pound the meat with a meat mallet to about a half inch thickness.
  • Add the sausage to the vegetable mixture and stir very well until evenly combined, then spread this over the turkey breast to about one inch off the border.
  • Starting at the shorter end, roll the turkey breast tightly together and tie with 4 equal pieces of butcher's twine at one inch intervals and one longer piece along the length of the stuffed turkey.
  • Sprinkle the turkey breast lightly with salt and pepper.
  • Place the stuffed turkey in a shallow oven proof pan (I used the same skillet in which I cooked the vegetables.)
  • Pour in 3/4 cup of chicken broth into the pan with a few springs of fresh sage and thyme.
  • Cook the turkey breast for about 1 hour and 10 minutes or until an instant-read digital thermometer reaches 155 degrees F.
  • Baste the stuffed turkey every 15 minutes with the remaining chicken broth so that the meat does not dry out and retains moisture.
  • When ready, transfer the stuffed turkey breast onto a cutting board and slice into 3/4 inch slices.
  • (mine yielded 12 slices)
  • Place the slices onto a serving platter.
  • Strain the pan juices through a fine sieve and pour the juices over the sliced turkey breast.
  • Serve while still warm.