My kids love mac and cheese, but they like do not like the normal mac and cheese with cheddar cheese(rolling eyes!) They like the gourmet mac and cheese, where you make the white sauce also called roux with butter and flour, add in the macaroni, and then bake it in little ceramic dishes with cheese and breadcrumbs on the top, drizzled with olive oil and baked off to create a wonderful crust on the top that is so delicious!
Although it is quite delicious, there is essentially no nutritional value to this dish, with all the cheese and butter that is in it. So I decided to make a slightly elevated version of this dish called the Roasted Butternut Squash, Mushroom, and Fontina Cheese Pasta Bake. This dish has roasted butternut squash in it, which is probably one of my favorite squashes in the family of squash, and I make it in several different ways. Funny thing is, I used to make SO MUCH butternut squash puree for my then babies when they were less than 1, and I would add spices to it to make it more flavorful and they loved it!
This pasta also has sautéed mushrooms. I LOVE the texture and taste of the sautéed wild mushrooms. I sauté them in olive oil and butter, and add thyme, salt and pepper. They are so full of flavor and add great texture and flavor to the pasta as well. Lastly I add sage leaves, fontina cheese and parmesan cheese, which gives it all kinds of herby and cheesy flavors. This is a very flavorful and hearty pasta bake, perfect for an anytime meal.
We fight over the crunchy topping which is fontina and parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and olive oil, and crispy sage garnish! It is a great make ahead dish, that can be enjoyed during the week, as well as, as leftovers!
I had developed this recipe for the Cook Feed Magazine, in 2018, and thought I would share it here since a lot of people asked me for the recipe. It is a great one that my family loves! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do! If you do make it, please do tag #thejamlab on Instagram and/or leave a comment here on this blog post!
Happy Cooking!
XO
Amisha
Butternut Squash, Mushroom and Fontina Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- Roasted Butternut Squash:
- 3 cups (400gms) ½ inch cut butternut squash pieces
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- Sautéed Mushrooms:
- 2 ½ cups(175gms) coarsely chopped exotic mushrooms like Chanterelle, Oyster, Shitake etc.
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- White Sauce:
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 ½ cups(200gms) finely diced white onion
- 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- 3 cups (750gms) whole milk
- 1 cup (90gms) freshly grated fontina cheese
- ½ cup (60gms) parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 ½ -2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 ½ - 2 tsp black pepper
- ¾ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 10 sage leaves finely chopped
- 8 oz of dried pasta(rigatoni/shell/orecchiette)
- Topping:
- ¾ cup (67gms) fontina cheese
- ½ cup (60gms) parmesan cheese
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- 2-3 tbsp drizzle of olive oil
- Garnish:
- 10 sage leaves
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Roasted butternut squash:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a small baking pan, add in the butternut squash, olive oil, salt, pepper and dried thyme. Mix it all together and lay it flat, such that it does not overlap each other. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes.
- Sautéed mushrooms:
- Meanwhile, prepare the mushrooms and the white sauce. For the mushrooms, in a medium saucepan, on medium-high heat, add in the butter and olive oil. Let the butter melt. Add in the mushrooms, salt, pepper, dried thyme and sauté it in the pan occasionally with a wooden spatula for about 7-8 minutes till it is slightly charred. Switch off the heat. Set it aside.
- Cooked Pasta:
- Meanwhile cook the pasta according to the packaged directions. Do Not let it cook for the complete time on the package. If it says cook for 14 minutes, simply cook for 10 minutes. If it says cook for 12 minutes, simply cook for 8 minutes. The pasta will cook in the sauce, in the oven.
- White Sauce:
- In a large saucepan, on medium-high heat, add in the butter and olive oil. Let the butter melt. Add in the onions and sauté for about 7-8 minutes till slightly golden brown. Add in the grated garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add in the salt, pepper and nutmeg and sauté. Add in the flour and sauté for about 2 minutes to remove the raw taste of the flour. Now add in the milk. Use a whisk at this point, to whisk in the mixture well. Let it thicken for about 5 minutes. Add in the lemon zest to brighten up the flavor. Add in the fontina and parmesan cheese, and whisk for 2 minutes till it reaches a smooth consistency. Now add in the sage leaves and mix. Switch off the heat.
- Toppings and Garnish:
- Mix the fontina cheese, parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs all together in a small bowl. Keep it aside.
- In a small saucepan, add in the olive oil at medium-high heat. Add in the sage leaves and let it fry for about a minute. Switch off the heat.
- Assembly:
- Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
- Add the cooked pasta, roasted butternut squash and sautéed mushrooms in the white sauce pan. Gently mix it all together.
- Gently pour it in a 9x13 baking pan, or a 10 inch cast iron pan. Smoothen the top part. Add the topping evenly over the pasta. Drizzle the olive oil on the top to drench the topping.
- Bake for 35 minutes on the bottom rack, and broil for about 3 minutes on high. Watch out every 30 seconds to make sure that the top is not burnt. Switch off the oven. Remove the baking pan or cast-iron pan gently. Let it cool slightly for 10 minutes.
- Garnish with the fried sage leaves.
- Serve with crusty bread and red pepper flakes!
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