Mozarella and Roasted Squash Pasta

Ooh, autumnal cooking, I do like you.

I’m always looking for delicious pasta bake dishes for mid-week dinners. You see, I love to cook, but I really really love eating. So much so that I am incredibly impatient when it comes to cooking dinner after work. I will not be lovingly stirring a risotto for an hour when all I want to do is stick my head in a box of cereal for some nutrition.

And then, the clouds parted and heavens opened because I found this delightful little recipe, that even makes enough for leftovers! Dream.

This could very easily be a veggie recipe but I added the bacon last minute as I had a few rashers to use up, and they did add a lovely smoky, salty aspect.

Serves 4 (or 2 with hella leftovers!)

Ingredients

• 1 squash, peeled, deseeded and chopped into 2cm chunks
• Olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, diced
• 1 bunch of basil, shredded
• 4 bacon rashers,thinly sliced (optional!)
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• ½ a deseeded chilli, diced
• Sea salt
• 500g penne pasta
• Pepper
• 3tbsp ricotta or cream cheese
• 600ml vegetable stock
• 1 small handful of spinach
• 1 medium mozzarella ball, sliced

Method

Put the prepared squash on a tray and drizzle with oil. Roast in the oven at 220 degrees for 15 minutes until tender.

Meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a pan and add the garlic and basil stalks.

Fry for a few minutes and then add the bacon (I forgot to do this at this stage, so I fried it separately and added it before putting everything in the oven!).

Add the chopped tomatoes and half a chilli to the pot and bring to the boil.

Now, remove the cooked squash from the oven and turn down the heat to 200 degrees.

Add in the squash, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

Now, cook the pasta.

Tear up the basil leaves and stir in the pot along with some salt and pepper.

Stir in the ricotta and stock and bring to a boil. Stir though the spinach and throw in the cooked pasta.

Tip the whole delicious lot into an ovenproof dish and scatter the mozzarella on top.

This photo looks crazy dark for some reason

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until the mozzarella is all melted and golden.

Allow to sit for a few minutes before serving.

Enjoy!