Baked Butternut Squash, Kale, and Mushroom Pasta

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If you’ve been looking for another veggie packed pasta dish to add to your recipe box, then let me suggest my Baked Butternut Squash, Kale, and Mushroom Pasta. This pasta dish is super versatile in that like most of my dishes, you can substitute or omit veggies based on what’s in season or your what your preferences are. I personally love the pairing of Butternut Squash, Kale, and Mushrooms. It’s truly the perfect fall or winter dish.

This dish reminds me of a creamy Vegetable Lasagna that I use to love as a child. For the pasta I used malfalda pasta, but feel free to use any other type of hearty pasta, if that’s not easily available to you.

For this dish I’ve made a garlicky béchamel sauce that I’ve added in some gruyere cheese and parmesan cheese. And let me tell you, it’s dreamy. After I combine all of that together, I throw it into my baking dish and bake it for a bit. It’s not a must. You could easily just stop once it’s mixed all together and serve that dreaminess into your bowl. Just thought I’d put that out there, because I’ve done that as well. Hahaha! But honestly I think baking it adds a slightly crispy top, which I like. Additionally, you could sprinkle some breadcrumbs on the top with a drizzle of olive oil for an extra crispy top. It’s totally up to you. 🙂

As for the baking dish, I recommend using a 9 x 9 baking dish or something comparable. I used my Staub Cast Iron 7.87 x 12-inch oven dish. Whether you’re roasting some vegetables to baking a pasta dish, it’s truly wonderful. Staub builds on their tradition of their enameled cast iron cookware. The black matte enamel inside and cooking surface creates an advantage for better browning, braising, and roasting. It’s also safe for use on all types of heat sources, including gas, electric, and induction, and oven safe up to 500F. It’s chip resistant, requires not seasoning and is dishwasher safe!

Now for the pasta!

If you enjoy my Baked Butternut Squash, Kale, and Mushroom Pasta, then you may also want to try my Warm Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale Tortellini Salad as well!

Get the Recipe: Baked Butternut Squash, Kale, and Mushroom Pasta

Yield: 5 servings

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 1 hour hr

Total: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

5 from 6 reviews

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Ingredients

• 3 cups butternut squash, diced into small bite size pieces
• 8 ounces cremini mushroom, quartered
• a good drizzle olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 9 ounces pasta, I used Malfalda, (other substitutes would be campanelle, ziti, rigatoni, penne)
• 4 cups kale, thinly sliced (I used curly kale)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• a pinch red chili flakes
• 3 tablespoons unbleached flour
• 2 ½ cups whole milk
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
• 3 to 4 ounces gruyere cheese, grated (reserve 1 ounce to put on top)
• ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated (you'll need a little more to add to the top)

Equipment

• Baking Dish
• Large Skillet

Instructions

Prepare the Butternut Squash and Mushrooms:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Add your butternut squash and mushrooms into your baking dish and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil. Sprinkle with dried Italian herbs and a little salt and pepper. Mix that well together and place in to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes on top rack of oven. Check half way through and give it a stir.  Once done, pull out of the oven and set to the side, but leave oven on.

Prepare the pasta and kale:

• In a large pot, cook the pasta according to package, but just until almost done or al dente, because it will be cooked in oven as well and we don't want to over cook it. Take a measuring cup and pull out 1 cup of pasta water and set it to the side. Place a colander in the sink and transfer the kale to the colander. Now drain the pasta directly over the kale. This will wilt the kale. Give it a stir and set it to the side.

Make the sauce:

• In a large skillet, over medium-low heat, add in the butter. Once melted, add in the garlic and chili flakes and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add in the flour and stir until slightly golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in the milk, dijon mustard, garlic powder and continue to stir until the sauce begins to slowly thicken. Stir in the gruyere cheese and parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Continue stirring until the cheese if fully melted.

Assemble the dish:

• Pour the pasta, kale, mushrooms, butternut squash, and pasta water into the sauce and stir until your mixture is fully incorporated. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Transfer that mixture into the baking dish that you were using. Don't worry about cleaning it out before hand.
• Now sprinkle the top with a little bit more of gruyere cheese and parmesan cheese. Place your dish on the top rack in your oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the top is golden and melted.
• To serve, add a little more parmesan cheese on top, if desired and enjoy!

Calories: 521kcal, Carbohydrates: 63g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 58mg, Sodium: 843mg, Potassium: 1030mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 14939IU, Vitamin C: 68mg, Calcium: 650mg, Iron: 3mg