This Butternut Squash Pasta Pie is made for just 2, and is absolutely delicious. This one is a whole lot less heavy than most traditional rigatoni pies with tomato and beef sauce.
Making pasta dishes is rewarding, because pasta can be combined with everything. At least, I have not found anything as yet that cannot be consumed with pasta, but I am sure this is something. Pasta is also forgiving. Most of the time, a mediocre recipe can be rescued with spices, herbs and/or condiments.
Pasta is also a product that you can play with; think outside the box. You can add color to the pasta itself, like this Red Wine Spaghetti, or you can use pasta for a different course than usual, like this Sweet Pasta Dessert. You can build a pie, like this Butternut Squash Pasta Pie.
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
- Butternut Squash
- Tube pasta. I used Mezzo Pacchero; it’s a lot wider and shorter than rigatoni. This means that you will need less pasta to fill your pie form, while you have more room for sauce. Mezzo Pacchero is about 1.25 inch tall and has a 1-inch diameter (measured in the dry form)
- Onion and garlic
- Egg
- Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese
- Ricotta
- Fresh Parsley
- Nutmeg
How to Make Butternut Squash Pasta Pie
- Cook the pasta according to the directions on the packaging. How much pasta? That very much depends on the type of pasta you decide to use and the size of your pie form. I used a 6-inch springform pan and about 6 oz. of pasta. Fill the springform pan with the dry pasta, this will help you to decide how much pasta you’ll need. Cook the pasta until almost al dente, drain and place tubes on a kitchen towel, so they don’t stick to each other.
- Peel the butternut squash, discard the seeds and cut it in cubes. Do the same with the onion and peel and squash the garlic. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in the oven until fork tender. Once tender, place in blender, add vegetable stock, cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg until tasty and thick.
- Mix ricotta with chopped parsley, mozzarella, egg, salt and pepper.
- Wrap the bottom of the springform pan with aluminum foil, just in case some of the sauce will leak out of the pie.
- Grease the springform pan with olive oil.
- Place the pasta in the form, as tight as possible.
- Transfer the ricotta mixture into a Ziploc bag, cut a small corner off and pipe it in the pasta. Fill half way.
- Pour butternut squash sauce on top of the pasta and ‘work’ the sauce into the pasta, as well as into the gaps between the pasta.
- Top pasta with grated cheese (Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese).
- Bake the pasta dish; 30 minutes covered and 15 minutes uncovered in an oven of 375 degrees F.
Allow the pie to settle a little, about 10-15 minutes. If you cut it immediately, you may see the pie not stay together. When the pie rests, the cheese solidifies a little and keeps the pie together. Remove the spring form (you may need to run a knife on the outside of the pie). Then transfer the pie from the bottom of the pan onto a serving dish.
This small pie can be cut in 4 equal pieces of in half, whatever you prefer. It can be eaten cold and warm.
Butternut Squash Pasta Pie
Ingredients
- 6 ounces tube pasta Mezzo Pacchero Pasta
For the Ricotta Sauce
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons parsley chopped
- salt and pepper
For the Butternut Squash Sauce
- 1/2 butternut squash medium size
- 1/4 onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon cream
- 1/3 cup vegetable stock or chicken stock
- nutmeg
- salt and pepper
For the Cheese Layer
- 1/4 cup Mozzarella cheese shredded
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese grated
- parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a 6-inch springform pan with olive oil. Wrap pan bottom with aluminum foil to avoid leaking in the oven.
Prepare the individual components of the pasta pie
- Cook the pasta according to the directions on the packaging.
- Mix ricotta with chopped parsley, mozzarella, egg, salt and pepper. Set aside
- Peel the butternut squash, discard the seeds and cut it in cubes. Do the same with the onion and peel and squash the garlic.
- Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in the oven until fork tender (approx. 20 minutes). Once tender, transfer into a blender, add vegetable stock, cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg until taste and thick. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. F.
- When pasta is cooked, drain and place tubes on kitchen towel, to avoid that the tubes stick together.
Assemble the pasta pie
- Place the pasta in the form, as tight as possible.
- Transfer the ricotta mixture into a Ziploc bag, cut a small corner off and pipe it in the pasta. Fill half way.
- Pour butternut squash sauce on top of the pasta and ‘work’ the sauce into the pasta, as well as into the gaps between the pasta.
- Top pasta with grated cheese (Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese).
- Grease a sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray and cover the springform pan. Place in oven and bake pasta pie for approx. 30 minutes.
- Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes. The top will start to brown.
- Allow the cheese to settle a little (approx. 10-15 minutes). Sprinkle with chopped parsley and remove the springform. Transfer pasta pie from bottom of springform pan into a serving dish.
- Cut into wedges.
Notes
- How much pasta do you need? That very much depends on the type of pasta you decide to use and the size of your pie dish. I used a 6-inch springform pan. Fill the springform pan with the dry pasta, this will help you to decide how much pasta you’ll need.
- To make the butternut squash sauce you can also use a blender or an immersion blender.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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