Butternut Squash Pasta Bake
Delicious pasta shells stuffed with butternut squash and ground turkey in a creamy sauce.
Ingredients
Stuffing
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups butternut squash diced
- 1 tspn salt
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 2 tspn Italian seasoning
- 1 tspn red pepper flakes
- 1 tspn black pepper
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 tspn salt
- 15 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Sauce
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
Instructions
-
Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
-
Add the diced butternut squash and salt. Sauté to soften up the squash and incorporate the salt.
-
Add garlic, ground turkey, Italian seasoning, pepper flakes, and black pepper. Stir until turkey meat is fully cooked.
-
Add spinach and salt and cook until the spinach is wilted.
-
In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, egg, Parmesan cheese, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well.
-
Add the turkey and squash mixture into the bowl and mix well.
-
Cook a box of jumbo shell pasta until al dente. Set aside covered in olive oil to prevent sticking.
-
Heat butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Once melted, add in the flour.
-
Cook the flour until it turns light golden brown.
-
Add milk and stir continuously until the sauce thickens.
-
Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
-
Pour the sauce into the bottom of a casserole dish.
-
Stuff each shell pasta with the stuffing and place on top of the sauce.
-
Cover and bake at 400°F for 30 minutes.
-
Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top and bake for 5 minutes more.
-
Garnish with parsley.