Easy Butternut Skillet Shells.
Want an awesome arm workout?
Try cutting up one of those massive butternut squashes. Oh mylanta. Is this even serious? I bought a squash that was longer than hand-to-elbow and thicker than a wine bottle in girth. Yes, I just said girth. And I had no idea how I was even going to cut it when I snatched it up at my local farm, but it was still considerably smaller than all of my other options. Do you know how one cuts up a squash like that? And by “one,” I really mean a high-anxiety, mentally-unstable-from-a-recent-Girls-marathon, hungry female?
Patiently. And very carefully.
I actually feared for my life while slicing said squash. I mean, you have the whole cutting and chopping and peeling and removing of the seeds thing going on. So many sharp edges. Too many for my liking. One slip of my eye or one too many loudly belted lyrics from my Miranda Lambert Pandora station and I was going to be fingerless. Or worse yet: armless. Can’t I get someone here to do this kind of stuff for me or something?
And no, please don’t suggest my husband. I would totally put all of my anxiety on him and be certain that he would also chop off his arm since he doesn’t do much knife work, so then I’d try to leave the room so I wouldn’t think about it but it would be ALL I’d think about and then since I left it would end up happening anyway.
I’m a really rational person. In case you were wondering.
In other news, I might just go ahead and turn this into a brown butter blog. Since you know, it seems like I can’t even get through one freaking recipe without adding just the teensiest, tiniest bit. Ugh.
It’s just so good when it hits your lips.
This wasn’t my first go-round at a butternut mac: last year I made some butternut baked penne which we seriously lovelovelove, and it has bacon and mascarpone and everything. This time however, I wanted to attempt to make the whole shebang in one skillet (except for the boiling of the pasta, of course), and maybe even lighten it up a bit so it could be a weekly staple. Or like an everyday staple. Every meal staple? Butternut shells for breakfast? We’re sort of freaks.
So yep yep yep… with the exception of your shells you can make this all in one skillet. Cook your squash until it’s squishy, mash it up, mix it with cheese and other delish creamy things then toss in your pasta. Bake for a few minutes to bring it together and melt the cheese on top. Or if you’re ridiculously immature and STILL have not learned the virtue that is patience, you probably don’t even have to bake it. Just stir it all in and go. Then eat it. And burn every taste bud in your pretty little mouth.
I know nothing about that.
Butternut Squash Shells and Cheese Skillet
Ingredients
- 3 cups uncooked whole wheat pasta shells
- 4 cups 1/2-inch cubed uncooked butternut squash
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 1/2 cups skim milk, or unsweetened almond or coconut
- 6 ounces freshly grated fontina cheese
- 2 ounces freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons unsalted brown butter
- 2 tablespoons fine breadcrumbs
- fresh chopped herbs for garnish, sage, basil, cilantro, thyme
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare water for pasta and once it comes to a boil, cook pasta according to directions, then drain.
- While water is boiling, heat a large cast-iron (or oven-safe) skillet over medium-low heat. Add olive oil, then toss in squash with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add stock and cover skillet, cooking for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until squash is soft and can easily be mashed. Remove cover and reduce heat to low. Mash squash with a potato masher or forks, smoothing it out with a spoon to remove all of the chunks. Add in milk, 4 ounces of fontina and all of the parmesan cheese, stirring until melted and smooth, about 5 minutes. If mixture still seems way too starchy, add in additional milk 1/4 cup at a time, stirring for a while. Stir in brown butter, again mixing for a minute or so until incorporated. Taste and season additionally if desired.
- Fold shells into the sauce, taking a few minutes to fully toss the shells so they are all coated. Top with remaining fontina cheese (or as much as you see fit) and breadcrumbs and bake for 15 minutes. If a bubbly, golden topping is desired, broil for 1-2 minutes on high after cooking. Sprinkle with fresh herbs and serve!
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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Brown butter for life.
209 Comments on “Easy Butternut Skillet Shells.”
This is my first time to your website. Great recipe and I love your writing style. Can’t wait to try this!
Sweet, creamy skillet pasta? Wanttttt.
I made this last night for dinner and I just wanted to thank you for two things: 1. The recipe, and 2. Making me look like some sort of kitchen hero. Everyone loved it, including my boyfriend who said it was one of his favorite meals I’ve ever made…and I’ve made him lots of meals! Keep ’em comin’!
I made this last night with buttercup and delcata squash, along side with your ginger/honey salmon and it was the best!!!! The squash could have been dinner by itself!!!
I am fairly certain I couldn’t be anymore obsessed with this.
The best way to cut up a large squash is to break it. Take it outside and toss it down on to a cement sidewalk or step. It will break into more manageable pieces. Just rince and scoop out seeds. You can finish cutting it in the kitchen or bake it as it is in the irregular shapes and scoop out the flesh for your recipes.
Your method sounds GENIUS! Can’t wait to try it.
Oh Jessica this is my favorite thing! It looks SO good. I mean guilty pleasure good. Do you think you could just cut the squash in half, roast it and scoop out the insides? I also have zero patience.
I made this for dinner tonight. It was easy and soooo good. I used pre-cut squash ’cause who needs a workout after work. The only thing I might add next time is some bacon. Mmmmm bacon . . .
Thanks for sharing!
Oh my God. Yes to the bacon. Yes, please.:)
OMG my first thought was bacon, too!! Mine wasn’t as “light” as I used cheddar, lots of cheddar, but suuuper good, and bacon will definitely be in the next batch :-)
Perfect for fall!
I found this post on Pinterest….you are hilarious! I laughed out loud a couple times while reading your experience cutting up the squash because I could totally relate (including the part about the husband) :) This recipe looks awesome, thank you so much for sharing!!
Omg – I just made this for dinner and it was soooooo good! This recipe is definitely a keeper. I have to admit – I was a wee bit nervous about adding squash to my mac and cheese – but it was perfect.
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We made this over the weekend and I served it with Apple Brined Porkchops and the coffee bbq sauce you posted earlier in the week. DIVINE!
lol! This was me last night! We grew butternut squash in our garden this year and (Lord help me) I have about 43 of them. I sliced up the first one yesterday and THAT was scary, but I made a butternut/sage/gnocchi/walnut dish that was pretty darn good. Today hubby emailed me a link to your mac and cheese above, and that’s what’s for dinner tonight. Thanks for sharing!
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Wow, made this tonight and it was deeeelish. Thanks for always posting great recipes and pictures!
Easiest way to cut up/peel a squash: stab it with a knife (can you say therapy?) and then cook it in the microwave for 8-10 minutes. Softens it just enough to make the squash cut-able without risking an arm or a leg.
In other news… Squash is awesome and even more so is squash with cheese….
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Just wondering – I usually just wrap my squash in foil and put in a slow cooker with a little water. No chopping required. That would work??
I need help. I cant stop eating this. Ive made it twice in the last week, and I eat it all with in two days (though i do a half recipe). I tried adding a pinch of cinnamon, OH MY. yep, i went outside the box and took it to the next level. and I just ate half a skillet for dinner. I need an intervention…
omg – is this not the best thing you have ever made? someone else commented that they needed an intervention. it made soooo much i have part i just put right into the freezer. i can see me eating this for the next two days, my grown daughter is heading back this weekend and she can help eat it.
seriously, this is one of the best things i have ever prepared. i am wondering if the saltiness of a mild feta might be really good in this? i used cheddar, because i had it and parm and it was fantastic.
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In the oven as we speak– this sounded too good not to make! Can’t wait for the results. This was a great excuse to try making brown butter for the first time and I was successful and it tasted incredible. I’m sure the finished product will be amazing!
I added sauteed onions as well as peas. I also used unsweetened vanilla almond milk (hoping it wouldnt be gross- and it wasn’t!) as well as pumpkin pie spice instead of nutmeg because I didn’t have any. :)
I just catered for vegetarians this past weekend (T’Giving) and used only allspice (and some sea salt) in my cream of butternut, yam and pumpkin soup. Yummy! Sounds like you discovered the same thing. By the way, I often use almond milk as a substitute for dairy in my cooking (I even used vanilla almond milk when Trader Joe’s was out of the plain), and it works great every time. Good luck, and happy eating, I think it’s hard to ruin butternut!! Thanks to all the other posts, and especially the blog, looking forward to trying this recipe.
This was wonderful!! Thank you for posting!!!
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This looks so good! I’m making it for dinner, but my family and I “eat clean,” so I was wondering if it could possibly be made with extra EVOO instead of the brown butter?
I fell in love with butternut squash mac n cheese (with bacon) a few years back, but my recipe was a bit intensive. This was super easy and just as delicious. I may have committed brown butter sacriledge, but you inspire me so much, I decided to try putting the sage in the brown butter while it was browning to fry it a bit and then I stirred in a handful of seasoned panko into the sagey butter when it was done and sprinkled it on top of the pasta, stuck the pan under the broiler to crisp the crumbs and finish crisping up the sage….So good that I made it again two days later! You are the best!
Have you tried peeling the butternut squash with a potato peeler? Not as scary as a knife! Recipe sounds delish – can’t wait to try!
Just made this tonight. My husband, yougest son and I loved this! I did omit the butter and added diced onion and canned tuna fish to make a healthier Tuna Noddle Bake. i topped it all off with sliced tomato after I took it out of the oven. YUM!
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i actually want to cry as this looks so yummy!
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HI Jessica
I saw this on Pinterest and am making it for company this weekend. I have a couple of questions. FIrst off, I want to bake it so I am not putting it togehter while my guests are here. Could I make it ahead of time (and stick it in the fridge) and then bake it for 30-45 minutes? Also, money is SOO tight now and I’d rather not have to buy fontina. I have some queso fresco. Could I used that instead? I know it doesn’t get all melty like fontina…so I’m hesitant.
Made this tonight and LOVED it! The brown butter, the cheese, and the butternut are killer. My friend saw my “like” on FB and made it too – dueling butternut squash mac and cheeses :) Thanks for the recipe.
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All squashes can be sliced really easily if you nuke them for a few minutes… Just don’t forget to poke some holes in them or you have exploding squash all over the nuker…. I have never used brown butter in my cooking but you have made me a convert!!! Thanks
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