Roasted Butternut Boats Stuffed with Sausage, Toasted Pasta and Rice
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 cup broken thin spaghetti or orzo pasta
- EVOO
- for liberal drizzling
- 3 cloves garlic
- finely chopped
- 1 onion
- finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh sage
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 2 butternut squash
- halved and seeded
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- Honey
- for drizzling
- 1 pound bulk Italian sweet sausage with fennel
- 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese
- 8 ounces Fontina Val dAosta or Gruyere cheese, shredded or grated", "1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a saucepot over medium heat.
- Toast the pasta in the butter until deep golden and nutty, and then transfer to a plate.
- Pour in a drizzle of EVOO and melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter.
- When the butter has melted, cook the garlic and onions until softened, 5 minutes.
- Stir in the rice, coating with the butter, and sprinkle with the sage, salt and pepper.
- Pour in the wine, letting it absorb into the rice, and then add the stock and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the rice, covered, until al dente, 16 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and fluff with a fork.
- Cross-hatch the butternut squash flesh into 1/2-inch-wide scores.
- Dress with EVOO and sprinkle with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg.
- Drizzle with a little honey and roast, cut-side down, until the flesh is just tender enough to remove carefully from the shells, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Scoop the squash pieces into a dish, cut-side up, making sure not to break the squash shells.
- Heat a drizzle of EVOO in a skillet over medium-high heat and brown the sausage, crumbling the meat as it cooks.
- Combine the cooked sausage with the pasta, rice and squash.
- Fill the squash shells with the stuffing, and top with a drizzle of EVOO.
- Top with the cheeses and bake until hot and browned, 30 minutes.
- Garnish with the toasted pine nuts and serve hot.
- Cook's Note: For a make-ahead meal, cool and store the stuffed squash shells without the cheeses.
- Bring to room temperature before topping with the cheese and baking.