Butternut squash cheesy pasta bake

Pasta bake has a place in everyone's hearts surely!? Creamy, cheesy, hot and comforting it's the perfect autumnal dish that's easy to prepare and is a great use up of ingredients.

In this recipe we've used the leftover butternut squash puree from our soup recipe, added the pasta we have left in the cupboard (anything goes: penne, fusilli, rigatoni, macaroni, spaghetti... You name it!) And the cheese we had left in the fridge, a bit of cheddar and parmesan but blue, goats and brie would also work beautifully.

Give it a go and let us know how else you are going #OneStepGreener.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 large butternut squash peeled and deseeded
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 onion, sliced
1 apple
200 grams milk
3 cloves garlic, crushed
300g macaroni
200g grated mixed cheese
100g parmesan
2 tablespoons truffle oil
A handful of breadcrumbs
Sliced sage
Butternut squash seeds

Instructions

Turn the oven to 180 degrees fan.

Dice the butternut squash and place on a roasting tray. Scatter with the seeds, chilli flakes and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 30-40 minutes until soft and beginning to brown. Set aside to cool.

Add the onion to a saucepan with a little oil and sauté until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and apple and cook for a further minute until just soft transfer to a blender with the butternut squash and water, season well and blitz to a smooth puree, gradually adding milk to get the required puree consistency.

Heat a large saucepan of salted water to a rolling boil and add your pasta, any shapes will do! Cook for 8-10 minutes or until they are cooked al dente.

Drain and add 500ml of the butternut squash puree from this recipe. Grate in the cheese you have in the fridge and season well. If you have some sage then chop it finely and mix through. Warm on a low heat until the cheese has melted.

Pour into an oven dish and top with a handful of breadcrumbs (the best way to use up old bread) and the seeds from the squash. Drizzle liberally with olive oil and place under the grill for 5-10 minutes or until it's golden and bubbly.

Allow to cool for five minutes before serving with a simple apple and watercress salad on the side.

Did you make this recipe?

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