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This simple Creamy Baked 4 Cheese Butternut Squash Rigatoni is the perfect dinner. Quick, easy, cheesy, and so delicious! Roasted butternut squash with shallots, garlic, and herbs in a creamy 4-cheese, sun-dried tomato, spinach sauce. Cooked together with rigatoni pasta, then finished in the oven for a simple, delicious fall dinner. Truly one of those pasta bake dinners that everyone at the table will love. Great for a weeknight, but equally fancy enough to serve up at your next dinner party too. You can’t go wrong with this Tuscan-style butternut squash pasta dish.
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Sometimes I look back at older recipes and I wonder what I was thinking when I decided to make and share that recipe. And then sometimes I look back and think, wow I need to make this!
This is a pasta that I looked way, way, way back for. I was going through recipes for our HBH 10-year anniversary when I came across this recipe and thought, yummm!
I looked at the recipe and thought, wow I could make that so much more efficiently than it’s written. So that’s just what I did! I had all the ingredients with me at the time and decided to just go for it.
It turned out so delicious, I just had to re-share it!!
Here are details
First, you’ll want to roast up the squash. Start by tossing the squash, shallots, and garlic with lots of fresh oregano, chili flakes, salt, and pepper on a sheet pan.
Once the squash has finished roasting, blend it with the garlic and ricotta cheese until smooth. You can do this in a food processor or blender.
Now the pasta, take a big oven-safe skillet with sides and add a few cups of water. Just enough to cook the pasta. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta. Cook until the pasta is just al dente, but don’t drain it! Simply stir in the butternut squash mixture, milk, lots of spinach, the sun-dried tomatoes. And finish with a mix of gouda and parmesan cheese.
Toss everything until it is creamy. Top with fontina cheese and bake until melty and the sauce is bubbling up.
I usually top with fresh herbs, then serve it up! DELICIOUS!
This is my ideal fall dinner, and I even got the picky eaters to dive right into this! It’s all that delicious cheese and creamy butternut squash in a Tuscan-style sauce. You just cannot turn away from that combo!
Looking for more comfort pasta recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
Pesto Tortellini Zuppa Toscana
Creamy Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Pasta
One Pot French Onion Pasta with Crispy Prosciutto
Basil Parmesan Pasta with Crispy Chicken, Prosciutto, and Arugula
Lastly, if you make this Baked 4 Cheese Butternut Squash Rigatoni be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Baked 4 Cheese Butternut Squash Rigatoni.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups cubed butternut squash
- 1 shallot, halved
- 6-10 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
- chili flakes
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 pound rigatoni or other short cut pasta
- 1 cup milk or cream
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 cup shredded gouda cheese
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded fontina or provolone cheese
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 425° F.2. On a baking sheet, toss together the olive oil, butternut squash, shallot, garlic, oregano, and a pinch each of chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Bake 20-25 minutes, until the squash is tender.3. Pop the garlic cloves out of their skin. Add the butternut squash, shallot, garlic, and ricotta to a food processor. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.4. In a large, oven-safe skillet with sides, bring 3 1/2 cups water to a boil, add the pasta, and cook, stirring often, until the pasta is al dente, 8 minutes. Stir in the pureed butternut squash. Add the milk/ cream, Italian seasoning, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes, stirring to combine. Stir in the gouda and parmesan until melted. 5. Remove from the heat and top with the fontina cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and gooey. Eat!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Today is such a dark, gloomy and yes even kind of depressing day here and this pasta looks so delicious and comforting, it would be perfect if you could send me some now! 😀
Perfect! Thanks Lili!
Perfect for National Pasta Day! Definitely would love to see the goats and more of the barn.
Awesome! Thanks Penny!
This sounds soo delish! I love butternut squash, and garlic, and sun dried tomatoes, and cheese. In other words, this dish definitely has my name on it.
Perfect! I hope you love it Andrea, thanks!
I can see why this would be your ideal fall dinner Tieghan! LOVE all that cheese! So comforting and just perfect for fall with the addition of the squash! Hope your week is off to a great start!
Thank you Mary Ann, so happy you are loving this!
This looks amazing–as all your dishes do.
FB live subject? I would love to see your “messy” work area as you do a photo shoot.
Thanks Natalie!
yup, yup, right upa my alley, this one is!! Squash and sundried tomato? I’m in, baby, I’m SO in!!
https://bloglairdutemps.blogspot.pt/
Yes!! So happy you are loving this Ruth!
what a beautiful, beautiful pasta dish! The butternut squash is such a wonderful addition!
https://www.searedandshameless.com
Thank you Jessica!
I just finished breakfast and I’m drooling all over my keyboard. I am making this ASAP and your cheese pull is fantastic! Great shot. Have a beautiful day.
Thank you Marisa, so happy you are enjoying that cheese pull haha! I hope you have a beautiful day as well?
Definitely making this tonight!
I hope you love it Jenna, thanks!
I looks gooood ! Plus I just did yesterday my own oven-dried tomatoes (that I had a hard time resisting eating them all after they were done cooking), and it would be absolutely delicious in this meal !!!
This week-end I had my first Fondue of the autumn, and you know the summer and hot weather are a thing of the past when you start having fondue ! But that’s all right, fondue is so good ! Have you ever done a blog post for fondue? Broth and/or sauces? If not you should !!!
As for you brother, if budget allow, they should go to Canada party a bit 🙂 There, even his girlfriend will be able to enjoy a drink !
Love that idea, but it’s probably a bit pricy! haha! Thank you! 🙂
This looks incredible, that last photo with the cheese is so good 🙂
Thank you Amy!!
I saw an article on Food52 about repurposing leftover soup into a sauce. I’m going to try this with leftover kabocha squash soup and add the cheeses. Hope it works! Love winter squashes!!
Ooo sounds great! Thanks Lori!
Yaaaay facebook live, sounds amazing!!! Uhm, I sooo want to see all your amazing props 😀 good luck!!
Thank you Eva!!
This looks awesome, love the combination of ingredients! Looking forward to your Facebook Live
Thanks Rhian!
Facebook Live = Goats
^definitely the goats 😉
Rebecca
xx
http://www.peppermintdolly.com
Will have to do that! thanks Rebecca!