Thursday, March 8, 2012

Yummy Conchiglioni stuffed with Butternut Squash love

Yummy Conchiglioni stuffed with Butternut Squash Love There is just nothing else to say about this dish. I was looking around in my pantry one day when I was kicking around my house, determined to not leave the boundary of my yard and this came about. I was having guests and had been to the store 3x before noon. I wasn't going back. I did a bit of research (found this) and then altered it to my tastes—and this dish not only amazed me, but got better reviews than my shrimp dish!

1 big
butternut squash or two small ones - about 3 pounds
Salt And freshly ground black pepper
olive oil or butter
1/2 pound of bacon, diced
1 pound of conchiglioni pasta shells
(or the smaller ones, I just had those in the pantry. Again - was NOT going back)
2 cups of milk - you can make this creamier using cream but healthier using 1%
4-ish cups of cheese - I used 2 cups of shredded mozzerella/cheddar pizza cheese, 1/2 cup fresh mozzerella shredded, 1/2 cup of grated parmesan, 1/2 cup of shredded swiss, 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup greek yogurt
2 tablespoons of herbs - I had thyme and a bit of basil/mint that was in the yard

  • Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Halve the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds. Cut the pumpkin into 8 equal wedges and arrange on two baking sheets lined with foil. Sprinkle the wedges with salt and pepper and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Bake for about an hour, until the pumpkin is caramelized and tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Remove from the oven and let cool until you can handle the pumpkin without burning yourself.
  • In the meantime, crisp the pancetta in a medium saucepan over medium heat, about 10 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels, discarding the fat.
  • Turn the oven up to 500 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta for exactly 5 minutes, drain and run cool water over it for about 10 seconds. Set aside in the colander.
  • Scoop enough of the cooked pumpkin from the rind to make 2 cups. Combine this with the cream in a blender and puree just until smooth (be careful not to overblend, or you’ll whip the cream). Scoop out some more of the pumpkin (you probably won’t need the whole thing) and chop roughly to make about a cup and a half.
  • Combine the pumpkin and cream puree with the cheeses, salt, thyme and pancetta in a large bowl and stir gently to combine. Add the pasta and the chopped pumpkin and fold together just until combined.
  • Spread the pasta evenly in a casserole or baking dish. Bake uncovered for 7 to 10 minutes, until the top is browned and the bottom layer of pasta is just tender.