Rezept
Zubereitungszeit ca. 1 Stunden 15 MinutenVorbereitung ca. 20 MinutenKochzeit ca. 55 Minuten
Zutaten:
- 1 medium butternut squash (1 ¾ to 2 pounds)
- 1 pound (450 g) dried rigatoni pasta
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup dry white wine or light broth
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
- 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese (optional, but delicious)
- 8 ounces (225 g) fresh mozzarella pearls (or chopped fresh mozzarella)
- 4 ounces (115 g) low-moisture block mozzarella, shredded for the topping (about 1 ½ cups)
- Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Arbeitsschritte:
- Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and set aside a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Peel the squash, scrape out the seeds, and chop it into ½-inch cubes (you should have about 4 cups).
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until tender but not mushy. Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water, then drain the pasta.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped butternut squash, onion, and garlic. Add two pinches of salt, stir, then cook covered until tender, about 10 minutes. As they cook, uncover and stir once or twice to prevent sticking.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer about ⅓ of the squash to the baking dish and set aside.
- Pour the white wine into the saucepan and reduce by half (about 1 minute). Pour in the cream, milk, and ½ cup of the reserved pasta water. Cover and simmer until the squash is very tender, about 10 minutes. Then, transfer the mixture to a blender.
- Add the butter and the blue cheese (if using) to the blender. Remove the top insert from the lid, hold a dish towel over the hole, then blend until smooth, adding more pasta water as needed to make the sauce silky smooth. Taste, then season with ¼ teaspoon of pepper and salt (we add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of salt).
- Add the drained pasta, reserved chopped squash, fresh mozzarella, and the blended sauce to the baking dish. Toss well. Taste, then season with salt and pepper as needed. Spread into an even layer, then top with the shredded mozzarella.
- Bake until heated through and bubbling, rotating the dish halfway through, about 30 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and broil the top until browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.