Butternut Squash with Mushrooms and Pasta (Ckng Lght Jan/Feb 2013)

[Varaile]

I fell a bit behind with posting this - I checked and didn't see another thread but if I missed it, my apologies!

I modified this one rather substantially. First, I dropped the chicken completely. Then, to assemble the sauce, I melted 2 tbsp butter, and lightly sauted the flour before adding the recommended stock. Once it started to thicken slightly, I seasoned with salt and pepper and added the marscarpone. I set this aside while the veggies and pasta finished cooking then combined.

Result? Very good! This could be a versitile dish - try swapping out some butternut and replacing with cauliflower or broccoli. Or bring back in the chicken; roasted shrimp would also be good. Leftovers were tasty too, not as creamy as day of, but still good.

This is the recipe as posted on Ckng Lght:

Butternut Squash with Mushrooms and Pasta (Ckng Lght Jan/Feb 2013)
Vegetarian option by omitting chicken

8 ounces uncooked cavatappi pasta
12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 cup unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson), divided
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
4 cups peeled (1-inch) cubed butternut squash
1 1/2 cups (1-inch-thick) slices shallots
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 (3.5-ounce) packages shiitake mushroom caps, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives


Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken to pan; sauté 4 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Add stock to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, mascarpone, and 2 tablespoons parsley.

Preheat oven to 450°. Combine squash, shallots, garlic, and sliced shiitake mushrooms. Drizzle vegetable mixture with olive oil; toss. Transfer squash mixture to a small roasting pan; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Bake at 450° for 20 minutes or until vegetables are just tender. Add vegetable mixture to pasta mixture; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with chives, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

Mary Drennen, Cooking Light
JANUARY 2013

[Deechef]

This is right up my alley and I've been looking for something different to make - thanks for posting. Any suggestions for a sub for the marscapone?

[Varaile]

I'm not real sure what would be a good sub for marscarpone. Maybe light cream cheese? Chevere?

...I just googled this: Substitute for Marscarpone

I was close with the cream cheese. Maybe someone else will chime in with a tried and true substitute.

[vbak]

Your tweaks make it a good option for Lent. Thanks.