Creamy roasted butternut penne

Ingredients

• 1 medium-large butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• olive oil, to brush over cubed squash
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• a pinch or two of nutmeg
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp flour
• ½ cup sour cream, divided in half
• 2/3 cup milk
• 3/4 bag penne
• ½ cup grated mozzarella cheese
• dried thyme

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F/200 C. Peel squash and chop into cubes, then spread in a single layer on a covered baking sheet. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Roast 20 minutes, flip over, then roast for 20 minutes more. Remove from oven and transfer to a bowl. Mash with a potato masher to achieve a smooth consistency.

2. Cook pasta 2 minutes less than usual (for me, this meant 6 minutes). It’s going to bake in the oven, too, and you don’t want it to get overcooked.

3. While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until they just begin to brown.

4. Lower heat to a simmer and immediately add flour. Stir for 1-2 minutes. Add milk, ¼ cup sour cream, and mashed squash, mixing until combined. It will be fairly thick, so feel free to add a little more milk if you want to thin it out. (I added another 2-3 Tbsp milk because I didn’t want to thin it significantly.)

5. Taste the “sauce” and add salt or other spices as needed.

6. When pasta is done, drain and run under cold water for a minute to stop the cooking process. Transfer to a large bowl and mix in the remaining ¼ cup of sour cream. This will help make the dish creamy.

7. Add squash “sauce” to the penne and mix well so that all of the pasta is nicely coated. Top with mozzarella and a light sprinkle of thyme. Bake for 25 minutes and serve hot.

(Note: If you reheat leftovers, add a bit of milk and stir well to keep it smooth and creamy.)