Rigatoni with Butternut Squash, Spinach and Ricotta

Did you know that an entire box of Rigatoni is actually 8 servings? You probably did. Sadly in our house a box of Rigatoni often provides only 4 servings. Is this why Americans are fat? When I look at the box it doesn't look like that much. Even when the pasta is cooked, drained and covered with sauce it doesn't really look to me like it could feed 8. My 16 year old could easily polish off a half a box so that leaves just enough for my 14 year old forget about my 12 year old, my husband and me.

I am making an effort to be more serving size conscious (at least for me-I'm not going to worry too much about my 6 foot tall, skinny sons). That 1 serving with no additional ingredients added represents 210 calories, so if my serving is typically twice that, my starting point with just pasta would be 420 calories. Add to that oil or butter, cheeses or meats and I'm putting myself in dangerous calorie territory. So to be safe for this pasta dish I'm only cooking 1/2 of the box and I'll let everyone else fill up on salad and veggies and maybe bread.

The highlight of this dish I think is the ricotta cheese. Ricotta cheese is a grainy cheese made from whey that is drained off during the process of making other cheeses such as mozzarella and provolone. Frequently used in Italian cooking-most notably lasagna-it has a texture similar to cottage cheese. It can be found in the cheese section of the supermarket usually near the sour cream and cream cheese. I usually buy the part skim ricotta-if you buy a good quality brand the part skim version can taste just as good as the whole milk version so be picky.

Rigatoni with Butternut Squash, Spinach and Ricotta

3 cups diced butternut squash

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

8 ounces Rigatoni pasta

1 clove garlic, minced

3 cups fresh spinach, packed

1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese, room temperature

freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Arrange the butternut squash in an even layer on a baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the extra virgin olive oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the ground pepper. Roast in the oven until tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water just until tender; drain.

Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium heat; stir in the garlic and the spinach.

Cook until the spinach wilts slightly. Stir in the cooked pasta and the butternut squash. Season with the remaining salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and add the ricotta cheese a spoonful at a time and stir gently. Serve immediately with the grated Parmesan cheese.

Carnival and Acorn Squash Soup

Check out this squash! I love all the different squash in the supermarket in the fall. This one that I found is called Carnival Squash. Named for its fabulous colors, this pumpkin shaped squash has orange colored flesh and a taste very similar to butternut squash.

With the weather getting cooler by the second, I had a hankering for some warm soup and my beautiful squash find seemed like the perfect starting point. I diced the squash to roast it, but in retrospect (given the fact that I nearly severed my fingers several times) I probably should have just halved it, drizzled it with the oil, syrup, salt and pepper and roasted it, because it was a devil to cut....it was hard...it made cutting butternut squash seem like slicing butter. But I do prefer getting a "crusty" caramelized texture on the squash so I suppose it was worth the extra effort and risk of injury. (Sadly, unlike butternut squash, I could not find precut carnival or acorn squash at the supermarket)

For the broth I used a new Swanson cooking stock (which quite honestly I found there to be little difference in taste from regular Swanson chicken broth, but whatever...I can say I've tried it now.)

For seasoning, I went Indian (and for those who know me that's really exotic for me). Garam Masala which is a warm and peppery combination of cloves, cardomom, peppers and nutmeg is popular in Indian foods. It is, I think, a perfect blend with the earthy flavors of the squash. Curry powder would be a natural addition here, but I'm not going to get too exotic all at once. I bought my Garam Masala at the Penzey's Spices in Grand Central Station, but I found a great recipe to make your own right here.

Carnival and Acorn Squash Soup

1 Carnival Squash, peeled, seeds removed and diced

1 Acorn Squash, peeled, seeds removed and diced

1 medium carrot, large diced

1 celery stalk, large diced

4 shallots, peeled and quartered

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup half and half

1 1/2 teaspoons Garam Masala

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spread vegetables in an even layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle the vegetables with the oil and the syrup and sprinkle with the pepper and salt; stir to completely coat the vegetables. Roast the vegetables in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned and tender.

Transfer the vegetables to a food processor and process until smooth adding some of the broth if needed to smooth. Spoon the pureed mixture into a medium saucepan, stir in the remaining broth and the white wine; bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the half and half and the Garam Masala. Season with additional salt to taste.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Happy Birthday to my baby!! I can't believe she is 12...where have all the years gone? She actually liked my soup even though it had squash in it...ewww.

Barefoot Thursday-Butternut Squash Risotto

Welcome to another installment of Barefoot Thursday! Barefoot Thursday comes twice a month and it’s a day when food bloggers everywhere (well about 100 bloggers right now) prepare a recipe created by Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa. You know you want to join in…just do it!

Today’s recipe for Butternut Squash Risotto was the delicious selection of Rachel of Rachel Likes to Cook and may I say kudos to Rachel for such a wonderful selection.


Butternut squash are in season right now and are plentiful in the supermarket. What is exciting (well I get excited about such silly things) is that some supermarkets make it easier than ever to work with butternut squash by providing pre-cut squash so busy cooks can skip the peeling and dicing and get right to the cooking. I can think of three (oh there are many more, but I’m just throwing out three) fabulous reasons why butternut squash should make it into your supermarket cart this fall:

It is a good source of fiber and vitamin C
It is an excellent source of beta-carotene
Its sweet nutty flavor just screams “The Fall”

Super tips for choosing your squash:

Look for firm squash with smooth all-over buff colored skin. Look for a “ball-shaped” bottom and a thick neck. Select the larger varieties for sweeter flavor.

The recipe calls for a teaspoon of saffron threads-which is a lot, but I think the saffron makes all the difference in flavor. Saffron can be very expensive in the supermarket so I would suggest trying to find it in a Middle Eastern Grocery Store. I found mine in a spice outlet store here in CT. where it was pretty inexpensive. Also use caution when buying your Arborio rice. In the rice aisle of the supermarket the Arborio rice was $1.00 a pound more than in the International Foods aisle! Watch those unit prices!

While I am sure that Ina’s original recipe is absolutely divine I did make a few tiny changes. I forgot to buy Pancetta so I had to sub regular bacon and with that I could not bear to add all that butter, so I left it all out. I did use the bacon drippings so I’m not a complete low fat angel…but I also cut the Parmesan cheese in half. What was the result? Fabulous. I served the risotto with sautéed scallops and green beans and here’s the good news…it made so much that there’s plenty for lunch tomorrow (and probably dinner again)!


Butternut Squash Risotto (Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa)
Original Recipe here


1 butternut squash (2 pounds)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cups chicken stock
3 slices of bacon, diced
1/2 cup minced shallots (2 large)
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice (10 ounces)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds, and cut it into 3/4-inch cubes. You should have about 6 cups. Place the squash on a sheet pan and toss it with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing once, until very tender. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a small covered saucepan. Leave it on low heat to simmer.
In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, sauté the bacon and shallots on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until the shallots are translucent but not browned. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with butter. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes. Add 2 full ladles of stock to the rice plus the saffron, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir, and simmer until the stock is absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes.


Continue to add the stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring every few minutes. Each time, cook until the mixture seems a little dry, then add more stock. Continue until the rice is cooked through, but still al dente, about 30 minutes total. Off the heat, add the roasted squash cubes and Parmesan. Mix well and serve.