Get the Recipe: Baked Butternut Squash, Kale, and Mushroom Pasta
If you've been looking for another veggie packed pasta dish to add to your recipe box, then let me suggest my Baked Butternut Squash, Kale, and Mushroom Pasta.
Ingredients
- 3 cups butternut squash, diced into small bite size pieces (about ¾ inch size)
- 8 ounces cremini mushroom, quartered
- a good drizzle olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 9 ounces pasta, I used Malfalda, (other substitutes would be campanelle, ziti, rigatoni, penne)
- 4 cups kale, thinly sliced (I used curly kale)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- a pinch red chili flakes
- 3 tablespoons unbleached flour
- 2 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
- 3 to 4 ounces gruyere cheese, grated (reserve 1 ounce to put on top)
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated (plus a little more to add to the top)
Equipment
- 3.25 quart or 12 x 9 baking dish or something comparable.
- Large Skillet with high sides for combining the ingredients together
- colander
- Chef's Knife
- Cutting Board
Instructions
Prepare the Butternut Squash and Mushrooms:
- Arrange a rack on the top-third of the oven and pre-heat to 400 degrees.
- Gather you baking dish. Add in the butternut squash and mushrooms and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil. Sprinkle with the dried Italian herbs and season with a little salt and pepper and mix well together. Transfer the baking dish to the top-third rack in the oven and roast just until slightly fork tender, about 20 minutes (halfway through, giving it a stir). These veggies will cook more once combined with the other ingredients. Remove the baking dish from the oven and set to the side, but leave the oven on.
Prepare the pasta and kale:
- Meanwhile, in a large pot, cook the pasta according to package, but just until almost done or al dente, because it will be cook more in the oven as well and we don't want to over cook it. Take a measuring cup and pull out 1 cup of pasta water and set it to the side. Place a colander in the sink and transfer the kale to the colander. Now drain the pasta directly over the kale. This will help to wilt the kale. Give it a stir and set it to the side.
Make the sauce:
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat, add in the butter. Stir in the garlic and red chili flakes and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add in the flour and stir until slightly golden, about 2 minutes.
- Now, stir in the milk, dijon mustard, garlic powder and continue to stir until the sauce begins to slowly thicken. This may take several minutes.
- Stir in the gruyere cheese and parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Continue stirring until the cheese if fully melted.
Assemble the dish:
- Pour the pasta, kale, mushrooms, butternut squash, and pasta water into the sauce and stir until your mixture is fully incorporated. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Transfer that mixture into the baking dish that you were using. Don't worry about cleaning it out before hand.
- Sprinkle the top with a little bit more of gruyere cheese and parmesan cheese. Transfer the baking dish to the top-third rack in the oven and bake until the squash is fork tender and the top is melted and golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Serve in bowls or a plate and top with a little more parmesan cheese on top, if desired and enjoy!
Serving: 8ounces, Calories: 521kcal, Carbohydrates: 63g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 58mg, Sodium: 843mg, Potassium: 1030mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 14939IU, Vitamin C: 68mg, Calcium: 650mg, Iron: 3mg