Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells with Sage Browned Butter

My sister in law was recently diagnosed with several food allergies. This has caused a challenge to her in that it is difficult finding food she can eat and recipes that she is able to cook. Many recipes she has to change and make adjustments. So when she finds a good recipe, it is a celebration! This was one she made recently and shared with me, because she knew I would like it too. She was right! This recipe is easy and so delicious. 

I brought left overs to work and my friend, Josh finished it for lunch, raving about it- especially the brown butter sage sauce. 

Ingredients

Roasting the squash

Mixing up the ricotta stuffing for the shells

The roasted squash after mashing

The ricotta butternut squash stuffing ready to go!

Ready for the oven

All done!

Browning the butter

Adding in the sage leaves

Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells with Sage Browned Butter

Ingredients

1 large butternut squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounce package of jumbo pasta shells (I filled 25 shells)
2 cups of part-skim ricotta cheese
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 cup packed fresh spinach (chop after measuring)
1 large egg
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
10 fresh sage leaves

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Peel the butternut squash and chop the flesh into cubes (dispose of the seeds). Toss the cubed squash with the olive oil and roast in the oven for 20 mins, or until the squash is fork tender.

2. Put the squash in a bowl and mash with a fork (or place in immersion blender and blend) until smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature. Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.

3. Cook the jumbo pasta shells in boiling water until al dente and drain.

4. In a bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, garlic, spinach, egg, S+P and fresh lemon zest. Stir well. Then add the squash, folding in so it is evenly spread. Stuff the shells with this mixture and place them in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake the shells until they are hot all the way through, about 20 minutes.

5. While the shells are baking, prepare the sauce by melting the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat until the butter is golden-brown, about 10 minutes. (Be careful, its easy to burn the butter). Add the sage leaves and cook until they are slightly crisp. Remove the pan from the heat and squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon.

6. Drizzle the sauce over the cooked shells adding 1-2 sage leaves on top. Enjoy!

Adapted from: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Paprika Chicken with Pasta in a Creamy Tomato Sauce

This is one of my most favorite meals. I got the recipe from my favorite food blog, Crepes of Wrath (everything she makes is amazing). It is the perfect fall/winter meal. As soon as the weather turned cold I've had this dish on my mind, so when it was my turn to host supperclub, I knew just what to make!

There are a few things I do differently but for the most part I stick pretty closely to the recipe- it's that good!

The paprika chicken has the perfect amount of heat and provides a flavor I had never thought to mix with a pasta dish before. And the creaminess of the tomato sauce balances the heat from the chicken. Mmmm it is SO good. All you need is a side of veggies and a glass of red wine and you have one happy and satisfied belly!

Ingredients

Spices for the chicken

Spices rubbed into the chicken

Searing the chicken

Sautéing the onions and garlic

Voila!

Lara made a side salad of balsamic green beans, tomatoes, red onion and feta. It was the perfect match! 

Don't forget the parmesan!

Paprika Chicken with Pasta in a Creamy Tomato Sauce

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

6 large chicken breasts (I cut them in half, which provided an assortment of sizes of chicken breasts)

2 1/2 tsp salt and black pepper (divided) and more to taste 

1 1/2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes, divided 

3 teaspoons of oregano

3 teaspoons of dried basil

6 tablespoons paprika (I like to mix regular and smoked)

3 tablespoons of olive oil

2 large yellow onions, diced

5 cloves of garlic

4 bay leaves

2 24 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes with basil 

1 4 ounce can of tomato paste

1 pound of pasta (I used shells because the store was out of orecchiette. I've also used linguine before)

1 1/4 cups of light sour cream

Directions

1. Season each peice of chicken with 1/2 tsp of salt and black pepper. Mix together the red pepper flakes, oregano, basil, and paprika. Rub the spices on the chicken breasts.

2. In a large skillet heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high and lay the chicken down in the pan. Sear each side of the breast for about 5 minutes on each side. (I had to do this in batches.) Place the chicken aside (it should be raw in the middle- the searing should only cook the outside)

3. If needed, add more olive oil to the pan  (I needed to) and turn the heat down to medium. Add the diced garlic and onions being sure to scrape all of the browned bits on the pan from the chicken. Sauté the onions and garlic until translucent (about 8 minutes)

4. Turn the heat down to low and add the tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaves and stir to combine. 

5. Add in the chicken with the sauce and cover. Simmer for 1-2 hours making sure to stir the sauce and rearrange the chicken (every 20 mins) so none of the breasts are sitting directly on the pan for the entire time. 

6. Thirty minutes before dinner time boil your pasta in a pot of water. 

7. While the pasta is boiling, remove the chicken and place in a bowl (cover with foil) and set aside. Temper the sour cream by adding a spoonful or two of the tomato sauce to the sour cream and whisk until smooth. (This will allow you to have a smooth sauce instead of chunks that will form from the cold sour cream hitting the heat of the sauce)

8. If there is any fat sitting at the top of the sauce, skim it off, then add in the tempered sour cream and stir until combined, then your cooked pasta. Serve the pasta with the chicken.

It serves 6 with leftovers for the next couple of nights! I like cutting the breasts to make different sized portions of chicken. It provides a more customized meal, as some people will have smaller portions of chicken and others will grab 2-3 pieces! I usually grab a small piece of chicken and load up on the pasta :)

Grab a side of veggies and some vino! Salute!

Adapted From The Crepes of Wrath