I love pasta. But don’t you ever get tired of having it the same way?
For instance, when I have fettuccine, it’s usually swimming in a thick, creamy alfredo sauce. Which is good. And I like that. But sometimes I like to lighten things up and add some seasonal veggies. This is one of my favorite casseroles. These noodles are slightly cheesy, and combined with sweet sautéed shallots, roasted butternut squash and fresh parsley. The dish is baked with a covering of buttery, parmesan breadcrumbs. Finish it with a swirl of olive oil and a splash of fresh lemon juice.
These noodles are lightly coated with parmesan and mascarpone cheeses before baking.
And there is just a subtle sweetness from the softened shallots and roasted butternut squash.
But the breadcrumbs are my favorite part! Once you serve the dish, the breadcrumbs fall in between all the noodles so there is a soft, cheesy crunchiness to every bite.
I serve it with wedges of lemon for a fresh, light note of flavor.
The leftovers are even better. I just saute a portion of fettuccine with a smidge of butter in a non stick frying pan. The noodles brown slightly and the flavors meld beautifully!
Forget the mistake, remember the lesson.
- 1 pound of fettuccine
- 3 cups of butternut squash, peeled, seeded & cut into 1 inch cubes
- 5 shallots, chopped
- 8 ounces of mascarpone cheese
- ¾ cups of grated parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs
- 4 Tablespoons of butter/ divided
- 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
- freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
- ½ cup of chopped fresh leaf parsley, divided
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- ¼ teaspoon of pepper
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Place the squash in a large bowl. Drizzle with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil.
- Place the squash on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes. Stir and then continue to roast for another 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook fettucine according to package instructions.
- Drain and set aside.
- In a large saute pan, melt 2 Tablespoons of the butter.
- Add the shallots and cook and stir over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the lemon juice.
- Add the noodles to the pan.
- Stir in the mascarpone and ½ cup of grated parmesan.
- Add ¼ cup of parsley, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper.
- Transfer the mixture to a 2 quart, greased baking dish.
- In a small saute pan, heat the remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter.
- Add the breadcrumbs, the remaining ¼ cup of parsley and ¼ cup of parmesan.
- Sprinkle the breadcrumb mix over the noodles.
- Bake uncovered for about 10 minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.
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So yummy and irresistible with butternut and that crust! A fantastic Fall meal!
Angie@Angie’s Recipes recently posted…Roast Hokkaido Salad with Cranberries and Pepitas
Oh this is pure genius, love everything about it. Can’t wait to pick up my first butternut this season……
Butternut squash pasta. So. Much. Yes. Cannot wait to try this one out!
Love pasta in a gratin. SO good. And really liking the squash in this — adds an interesting, healthy flavor. Thanks!
John/Kitchen Riffs recently posted…The Chrysanthemum Cocktail
If I’ve had butternut squash before it wasn’t memorable. This is a dish that I would never forget.
I think shallots and leeks are so underrated. I love cooking with them. The shallots and the butternut do make this a very special pasta dish. Nothing boring here. Just total goodness!
mjskitchen recently posted…Three Sisters (Squash, Corn, Beans) with Green Chile Tomatillo Salsa