A quick, cozy weeknight noodle dish made with Grandma's Wide Egg Noodles or Thick-Cut S...
Scary Pumpkin Egg Noodles with Butternut Squash Alfredo
Contributing Chef Anne Quinn Corr, who serves on Grandma's Kitchen Council
6
15 minutes
1 hours
American
Fall Comfort Food
Here’s a dish to serve the kids an early dinner before they go out trick-or-treating. Though it takes about 45 minutes to roast the Butternut Squash, it can be done ahead of time, and the rest of the dish comes together in minutes. Decorating the pasta with a scary pumpkin face is a kid-friendly task, engaging them in the holiday spirit. The squash can be roasted halved or cubed; it will all go into the blender Alfredo Sauce and melt into creamy goodness with some Italian seasonings and grated Parmesan cheese. Making the Alfredo Sauce with cottage cheese and milk boosts the protein content and dramatically reduces the fat. You can be sure your little goblins will have a nutritious and comforting egg noodle base in their bellies before they start into all that trick-or-treat candy.
Ingredients
One Butternut Squash (or any other variety winter squash)
One tablespoon oil, any type
One 16 oz pack of Grandma’s Frozen Egg Noodles
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
½ cup cottage cheese
1 cup milk
½ cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning (or a combo of dried oregano and basil)
3 cups of roasted squash (yes! You can cheat and use a can of pumpkin)
2 broccoli crowns
½ cup black beans, drained and rinsed
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450ºF. You can use convection if you have it. Split the squash and scoop out the seeds. Separate the neck of the squash from the bulbous part and cut thin slices from the neck if you want to make decorations like eyes and a mouth for garnishing the dish. Brush the cut surfaces with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place cut side down on parchment paper on a baking tray and roast until the squash tests tender and is slightly browned on the cut edges. Allow to cool, scoop out the flesh, and reserve. Save the cutouts if you made them. This much can be done ahead.
Fill a 6-quart pot with water for cooking the egg noodles and bring it to a boil.
Place the cottage cheese, milk, cornstarch, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning in a blender and blend until smooth. Taste to adjust the seasoning to your preference.
Add the roasted squash to the blender and puree the mixture. Place the pureed sauce into a large sauté pan or Dutch oven and warm over low heat, whisking occasionally. It will thicken slightly.
When the noodle water has come to a boil, add the Kosher salt to the water and bring back to a boil. Using tongs, plunge the broccoli crown in the boiling water and count to 10. Place the blanched broccoli in a bowl of cold or ice water to stop the cooking. Repeat with the other broccoli crown.
Once the broccoli is blanched add the frozen egg noodles to the boiling water and separate the strands with a pasta fork or tongs.
While the egg noodles are cooking, trim the broccoli crowns in to small florets and place in a bowl for decorating the finished dish.
When the egg noodles are cooked but still al dente (about 12 minutes) drain and reserve about a cup of the egg noodle cooking water.
Place the cooked noodles into the sauté pan with the hot Squash Alfredo sauce and gently toss with tongs to coat. Add the noodle cooking water to thin the dish a bit to your preference.
When the noodles are coated with the velvety sauce, pour them into a serving dish and let the kids make a face on the top with the squash cutouts and black beans and broccoli. If you are not planning to decorate the dish, just toss the broccoli and black beans into the egg noodles and serve with additional grated Parmesan.
Happy Halloween!
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