Author: ds83473@gmail.com

This pasta bake is like many others: homey and cheesy and comforting. What sets it apart is the butternut squash in the sauce, that makes the dish taste as rich as similar bakes with a lot more cheese. I’ve used ground or link pork sausage here, but try chicken or turkey sausage if you prefer, and you can make this vegetarian by subbing in some greens instead of the sausage.

Prep time: 30 mins.
Baking time: 30 mins.
Serves: 8

12 ounces pasta of your choice, I used penne
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces ground Italian sausage or 3-4 links with casings removed or sliced, if it’s the type of sausage where you can’t remove the casing
1 large bell pepper, seeded and chopped

Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2-3 leeks, white and light green parts only, split longways and thinly sliced
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes
2 to 2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth, OR 2 cups reserved pasta cooking water and 1 bouillon cube
1/2 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 1/2 cups grated cheese – sharp cheddar or a combination of cheddar and Swiss is good
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Topping:
1 cup breadcrumbs (can be fresh or dried)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small garlic clove, minced or put through a press
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted boiling water until it’s a bit underdone, since it will be baked. Drain, reserving 2 cups of the cooking water if you are not using broth. Drop the bouillon cube into the reserved pasta water to melt while you prepare the other parts of the dish.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, and brown the sausage. If using ground sausage, break it into smaller clumps with a wooden spoon as it browns. If you have any other type of link sausage, slice it and brown in the oil. Add the chopped bell pepper and continue to cook until the pepper is soft. Remove from the heat and set aside.
3. Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven with a lid. Add the leeks and a generous pinch of kosher salt, stir, and cover. Reduce the heat to low, and cook until the leeks are soft but not brown, about 10 minutes. Add the squash cubes and the broth (or pasta water/bouillon mixture), cover, and simmer until the squash is tender, about 10 minutes. The squash cubes should be submerged; add a little more water if necessary. Remove from the heat and puree until smooth using an immersion blender. You can also use a food processor or blender but cool the mixture for about 10 minutes before proceeding. Add the nutmeg and the Parmesan and grated cheese(s) and stir until the cheese melts. Taste and season with salt if needed and freshly ground pepper.
4. Heat the oven to 400°. Stir the sausage mixture and the pasta into the sauce and spread into a 9 x 13 x 2 baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes until bubbly.
5. For the topping, heat the olive oil in a pan and add the minced garlic. Add the bread crumbs, stir to coat with oil, and cook a few minutes until the crumbs are slightly toasted and the garlic is fragrant. Set aside to cool. After the pasta has baked for 20 minutes combine the 1/4 cup Parmesan and the crumbs, which should be cool by now, and top the pasta with this mixture. Bake for 10 more minutes and serve.

4 ounces of bacon, 5-6 slices, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
olive or vegetable oil, if needed
1 cup of chopped onion
2 pounds of red cabbage, shredded or thinly sliced
1 medium apple, cored, quartered, and sliced (about 1 cup of slices)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup cider vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Note on shredding cabbage – you can use a box grater or food processor to shred the cabbage, or (my preferred method) cut it into quarters and thinly slice each quarter crosswise with a sharp knife.

1. Place the bacon bits in a Dutch oven over medium heat and fry until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towel to drain.
2. Pour the bacon fat into a small bowl and wipe out the Dutch oven. Measure two tablespoons of bacon fat and add to the pan, adding olive oil if necessary. Add the chopped onions and cook over medium heat until translucent. Add the cabbage – you may have to do this in batches, covering the pan in between to wilt the cabbage down to make room. Season with salt and pepper, stir well, and cook covered for about 5 minutes.
3. Add the apple, brown sugar, water, and cider vinegar, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat and braise the cabbage for about 20 minutes, until very soft. Check at about 10 minutes to make sure it’s not getting too dry. Add a little water of necessary.
4. When the cabbage is as tender as you like it, taste and check for salt. Sprinkle the bacon bits over and serve.

Serves: 4 as a side; 2 as a main course
Takes: 40 minutes to an hour to roast the potatoes; about 20 minutes active time to make the filling & stuff

The basic technique in this recipe can be varied many ways; try black beans with salsa and cheese, or swap tahini or almond butter for the peanut butter. It’s not strictly necessary to scoop out the potato and stuff it back into the shell with the filling ingredients. You can simply pile the filling on top of the potato halves and serve. The stuffed sweet potatoes reheat beautifully in the microwave (or oven) and you can also roast the potatoes and refrigerate for later stuffing and eating. I tested this recipe with Koji greens (minus the stems) because that’s what I had, but just about any green will work, such as kale or collards. If using a softer green like spinach use 1 pound instead of 8 ounces.

Potatoes:
2 large sweet potatoes, about 1 3/4 to 2 pounds
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Filling:
1/2 pound greens, such as kale or collards, washed, large stems removed, and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
kosher salt
2 large cloves of garlic, minced or put through a press
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
1-2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
1 tablespoon brown sugar or honey or maple syrup
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon Sriracha or other hot sauce, optional
1/4 – 1/3 cup natural peanut butter, smooth or crunchy (I like crunchy!)
Extra hot sauce and chopped peanuts for serving

1. Roast the potatoes: heat the oven to 450°. Scrub the potatoes and cut in half lengthwise. Arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet and drizzle with the oil. Turn the potatoes cut sides down and place in the oven and rost for 40 minutes to an hour until soft. Remove form the oven and cool until easy to handle.
2. Make the filling: Pour 2 tablespoons vegetable oil into a wide deep skillet with a lid. Add the greens and a few pinches of salt, stir to coat with oil, and cover and cook to wilt the greens, 5-10 minutes.
3. Uncover the skillet and add the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar. Stir and then add 1/4 cup peanut butter. Cover the pan again and cook for a few minutes to melt the peanut butter. Stir and if it doesn’t seem saucy enough to you, add more peanut butter.
4. Stuff the potatoes: Scoop out the center of the sweet potatoes and mash into the greens and sauce. Spoon the filling back into the potato shells. Set the potatoes back in the oven for about 15 minutes to reheat and serve with optional hot sauce and peanuts. Alternatively cool the potatoes and reheat in the microwave (or oven) to eat later.

This is a vegetarian version of Coronation Salad, a curried chicken salad that was the official dish for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1954. The chicken version is often served as a tea sandwich filling on buttered white bread; try this vegetarian version in pita or on a bed of greens. I think it would also be good on any type of sandwich roll. You could make this vegan by using egg-free mayo, and non-dairy yogurt in the dressing.

Ingredients:

One large head of cauliflower. about 2 pounds, cut or broken into small flowerets, 8-9 cups of flowerets
3 tablespoons of olive oil, divided
Kosher salt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon of Garam Masala
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
Zest and juice of one lemon
1-2 tablespoons honey, to taste
1 cup of pecans or walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
1 apple cored and diced into small pieces – about 1 heaping cup of apple
1/2 cup raisins
2/3 cup chopped parsley
additional salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Lightly oil a large baking sheet with one tablespoon of the olive oil and place it in the oven while you heat the oven to 400°.
2. In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower florets with the remaining two tablespoons of oil and a few good pinches of kosher salt. When the oven is hot, add the cauliflower to the hot sheet pan, and spread it out into a single layer. Roast for about 20 minutes until tender and browned. Remove from the oven and cool.
3. While the cauliflower roasts, mix the dressing. Combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, curry powder, Garam Masala, celery seeds, paprika, lemon zest and juice, and honey in a small bowl or spouted glass measuring pitcher that’s at least 2 cups. Whisk until smooth.
4. When the caulifower is cool, transfer it from the baking sheet to a large mixing bowl, and add the apple, raisins, and parsley. Pour about 2/3 of the dressing over and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning, and add more dressing to taste. It will probably need more salt and grin in some pepper. Chill for about 30 minutes, or up to overnight, before serving. the extra dressing is good on any lettuce salads.

This quiche is made with peeled squash but the varieties of winter squash, like acorn and jester, that have ridged shells can be hard to peel when raw. It’s a lot easier to remove the skin after the squash is cooked, so that’s what I’ve done here. And roasting the tomatoes concentrates the juices and makes then even sweeter. I’ve used Provolone cheese and a bit of goat cheese, but feel free to sub in other cheeses to your taste.

Takes: about an hour, but can be done in stages
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:
Crust for a single crust, 9-inch pie, store bought or here’s a recipe
One medium size acorn-type squash
2 slicing tomatoes, cut into wedges, then chunks OR 2-3 plum tomatoes cut into wedges
salt and freshly ground pepper
Approximately 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, or 1-2 tablespoons fresh herbs, basil or parsley suggested
1 cup provolone or other good melting cheese, grated
about an ounce of soft goat cheese, optional
3 eggs
about 1 1/4 cups half and half
extra fresh herbs for garnish, optional

1. Make your crust and chill – this can be done the day before – or even several days before. Roll out the crust – or unfold purchased crust – and fit it into a deep 9-inch pie dish. Set the crust in the fridge while you make the filing.
2. Line one large baking sheet, such as a half sheet pan that’s 18 x13, or two smaller ones, with parchment. Heat the oven to 400°. Arrange the tomatoes on one end of the baking sheet, or on one of your smaller baking sheets. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Cut each half of the squash into wedges, and arrange on the other end of a large baking sheet, or separately on a smaller baking sheet. Salt the vegetables, and grind black pepper over. Drizzle with the olive oil and toss – you might not use the full 2 tablespoons. Flip the tomatoes so the cut sides are up. Place in the oven and roast for 20-30 minutes until the squash is soft and the tomatoes have released their juices. Remove from the oven and cool. This can be done several hours ahead.
3. Melt the butter in a skillet and add the onions. Cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are slightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. At the end of the cooking time, stir in the thyme or fresh herbs, and remove from the heat. While the onions cook, peel the cooked squash – I find this easiest to do with a spoon, creating rough wedges of cooked squash.
4. Assemble the quiche: Heat the oven to 425°, and put one rack near the bottom and the other about in the middle. Spread 3/4 of the grated cheese on the bottom of the crust, then lay the squash over the cheese, breaking it into chunks with your fingers. Add the onions on top of the squash, then the tomatoes, and finish with the last 1/4 of the grated cheese.
5. Beat the eggs in a 2-cup glass measuring pitcher until they’re well-blended, then add enough half and half to get to the 2 cup mark. Crumble in the goat cheese if using, mix well, and pour the egg mixture over the veggies in the quiche shell.
6. Place the quiche on the bottom rack and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, move the quiche up to the upper rack, and reduce the heat to 375°. Bake until slightly puffed and golden, about 25 minutes. Cool for 10-15 minutes for easiest slicing. Garnish with the optional fresh herbs and serve.