My most favorite recipe from Rachel Ray has to be the Pasta with Butternut Squash, Sausage & Ricotta. So flavorful and soooo delicious. Mmmm.
I had to adapt it for my gluten-free lifestyle, which is just as simple as changing the pasta to a corn pasta. I use the Barilla brand. Corn pasta seems to hold up better casseroles.
Thank you Rachel Ray for coming up with his amazing concoction! I get to use the sage from my winter garden which makes me happy.
You can also omit the sausage if you want to make it vegetarian (can easily be adapted for vegan diets as well), either way it’s become a favorite in my house. I make it every fall. Friends and family look forward to it.
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Gluten-Free Baked Pasta with Butternut Squash, Sausage & Ricotta Recipe
This is my favorite Rachel Ray recipe. Adapt it to be gluten-free by using your favorite gluten-free corn pasta and gluten-free bread crumbs.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp small or medium butternut squash halved lengthwise
- 1 tbsp Olive oil for drizzling plus about 1 tablespoon
- 1 tbsp Salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
- 1 pound fresh ricotta
- 1 pound gluten-free pasta penne or similar
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 20 leaves fresh sage
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1/2 cup gluten-free bread crumbs seasoned or unseasoned is fine
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drizzle squash with olive oil. Roast, cut-side down, to tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool to handle and remove seeds. Scrape squash skin from the skin and mash in large bowl; season with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Combine squash with ricotta cheese.
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Reduce oven heat to 375°F.
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Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Salt water and cook pasta 5-6 minutes, undercooking it by about 2-3 minutes.
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Heat a small skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. When foam subsides, crisp sage leaves and brown the butter until nutty and fragrant. Remove the sage leaves to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Add butter and crumbled sage to squash and ricotta mixture.
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Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Brown and crumble the sausage into small bits and add garlic and fennel. Add sausage to squash and combine. Add half the stock to thin the mixture a bit then add pasta and half the grated cheese. If mixture is thick and doesn’t move freely when shaken, add more stock. The dish should look like it’s covered in thick sauce. Transfer pasta to a casserole dish and top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with gluten-free breadcrumbs. Bake until brown and bubbly, 20-30 minutes.
