A hearty meal for vegetarians and omnivores!
We typically eat several vegetarian dinners each week and often they involve pasta. Favourites include this pumpkin and spinach pasta dish as well as orzo with peas and basil. My husband is also a huge fan of my spaghetti squash with spinach, tomatoes and feta. While this particular meal is super as-is, I’ve also served it with flash-seared small scallops and chopped grilled sausages added in; both were great inclusions. Be sure you use a large pot as it will be very full when you stir in the noodles, but they’ll snuggle into the liquid once they begin to soften. A fun serving option is to transfer the cooked noodles and any remaining liquid to 2 cup (500 mL) oven-safe ramekins then add toppings and broil gently before serving.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (170 g) whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 3/4 cup (75 grams) Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
- Few grinds black pepper
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cups (400 g) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) pieces
- 2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) dry white wine
- 4 cups (1 L) water
- 1 cup (250 mL) heavy cream
- 9 oz (260 g) pasta (fusilli, orecchiette, farfalle etc.)
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves, for garnish
Method
- Combine ricotta, half the Parmesan, lemon zest, few pinches and pepper in a small bowl; cover and refrigerate until needed.
- Heat half of the oil in 12 or 14-inch (30-32.5 cm) oven safe skillet placed over medium heat. Add squash and sauté for 5 minutes until just beginning to feel tender when tested with the tip of a sharp knife.
- Add remaining oil to skillet along with leeks and remaining salt; sauté until leeks are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cayenne and cook 1 minute more. Add wine and cook 1 minute. At this point the dish can be paused; cover skillet and keep at room temperature for up to 4 hours.
- When ready to continue, add water and cream to skillet and bring to a boil. Carefully stir in pasta and use a spoon to poke the noodles into the liquid as they soften. Adjust heat to maintain a gentle boil, stirring often, until pasta is al dente (time will depend upon type of noodles used – generally about 15 minutes). Add a bit more water if needed so there is enough liquid to make a creamy sauce.
- Turn on broiler and adjust oven rack as needed to accommodate pan.
- Stir lemon juice into pasta then taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Dollop ricotta mixture over cooked noodles in pan (I use an ice cream scoop for this) then sprinkle remaining Parmesan over top.
- Transfer skillet (or individual ramekins, if using) to oven and bake until Parmesan is melted beginning to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Carefully remove from oven; let cool 2 minutes then sprinkle with basil and serve.
Serves 6.
