Butternut Squash Non-ravioli

I must have spent two days bragging about making butternut squash ravioli from scratch. Two. Days. First I was going to roll the dough myself, then I was going to shortcut it with wonton wrappers... then I was tired and they were out of wonton wrappers at the store, so I just made the filling and put it in giant pasta shells. Yes, I am ashamed of myself, but it was still worth eating.

In other news, I keep my trap shut unless I've already made something these days, so I do learn.

Now, if I were making actual ravioli, I would make some sort of sauce to top it. Despite the hack job on the pasta, I did put together a tasty sauce that consists primarily of wine and butter, so you know it's good.



Butternut Squash Wannabe Ravioli

1 Small butternut squash
1 Medium onion, diced
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 pinch nutmeg
salt/pepper to taste
Jumbo pasta shells

1-2 tsp thyme (I was out of sage which, if I had it, would have worked better))
1/2-3/4 cup white wine
4 tbsp butter

1) Preheat the over to 400. Cut the butternut squash in half vertically, scoop out the seeds (a melon baller is wonderful for this), brush olive oil on the cut sides of the squash. Place the squash cut side down on a cookie sheet and cook for 30 min or until easily pierced with a fork. You should be able to scoop the squash out with a spoon and without trying very hard.

2) Empty the squash into a bowl. Saute the onions in 1 tbsp butter and add to the squash. Stir other ingredients into mixture and add salt/pepper to taste.

3) Boil water and prepare the pasta shells.

3) In a saucepan, reduce wine by half and add butter & thyme (and, if you're feeling feisty, squeeze some lemon in there). Feel free to play with the wine/butter balance to make the sauce tangier or smoother. I like mine more tilted to wine, but maybe that's just because I'm a lawyer and, well, we like wine. You are also welcome to double the sauce if you have a big batch and are not terribly concerned about your cholesterol.

4) Turn the oven back on and set it at 350. Stuff the pasta shells with the butternut squash mixture, place them in a greased pan, and pour the sauce over the batch. If you would like, you may sprinkle some extra parmesan on top.

5) Bake 15-20 min and serve.