Baked Goat Cheese and Roasted Winter Squash over Garlicky Fettuccine

Yield: 8 servings
Recipe from Krista Montgomery, M.S., R.D., Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2006
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

I’ve been having fun testing squash recipes this fall. Our dining room table is loaded with a variety of locally grown winter squashes. It makes for a really nice display in the meantime. I invited our friends, Bob and Debbie, over to help us taste test this dish. We all cleaned our plates. We loved the contrast of the sweetness of the butternut, the sharpness of the garlic and the creaminess of the goat cheese. The goat cheese rounds are baked just enough so they melt in your mouth. I used one half of a large butternut squash. With the other half, I made Butternut Squash and Corn Chowder (recipe on this blog.)

Ingredients
6 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled kabocha or butternut squash (about 2 1/4 pounds)
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 ½ Tablespoons olive oil, divided
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon Kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon chopped fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (4-ounce) packages goat cheese
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs (I used seasoned bread crumbs.)
1 pound uncooked fettuccine (I used whole wheat fettuccine.)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
Rosemary sprigs (optional)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 425°.
Place squash and bell pepper in a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon oil; toss well. Arrange vegetables in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, rosemary, and black pepper. Bake at 425° for 40 minutes, stirring once.
Place goat cheese in freezer 10 minutes. Cut cheese crosswise into 8 equal rounds. Place breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl. Dredge each round in breadcrumbs; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 6 minutes.
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water. Return pasta to pan; add reserved pasta cooking water, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, red pepper, and garlic, tossing to coat. Place 1 1/4 cups pasta in each of 8 shallow bowls; top each serving with about 1/2 cup squash mixture and 1 goat cheese round. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, if desired.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 423 (30% from fat)
Fat: 14.1g (sat 7.4g, mono 4.2g, poly 0.7g)
Protein: 17.8g
Carbohydrate: 54.7g
Fiber: 2.7g
Cholesterol: 30mg
Iron: 2.1mg
Sodium: 439mg
Calcium: 290mg