Fall Food!!! This dish is the very definition of fall comfort food!
Ingredients:
-16 oz. Hot Italian Sausage
-12 oz. Rigatoni Noodles
-1 Small Butternut Squash
-12 oz. Broccolini
-16 oz. Med. White Cheddar (shredded)
-8 oz. Sharp White Cheddar (shredded)
-4 Tbsp. Butter
-1/4 c Flour
-2 c ½ and ½
-1 tsp. Fresh Nutmeg
-1 tsp. Fresh Sage (chopped)
-1 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
-1 tsp. Hot Sauce (Franks)
-1 tsp. White Pepper
Directions:
Cut squash in half lengthwise place on a baking sheet and roast in a 400° oven, on the middle rack, for 20-30 min. Remove squash from oven, let cool. Remove skin, seeds, and pulp from squash. Cut squash in ½ in. cubes, set aside. Cut broccolini in 1 in. lengths. Roast with squash on greased baking sheet for 15 min of the roasting time. Remove from oven, set aside.
If sausage is in casings remove casings from sausage. Cut sausage into ½ in pieces. Cook sausage in skillet on med high heat until cooked through. Remove from heat, drain, and set aside.
Boil Rigatoni noodles in liberally salted water until al dente. (I usually cook my pasta for mac n cheese a little less than al dente to account for the time I am going to bake it in the oven.) Drain pasta, set aside.
Combine Squash, Sausage, Broccolini, and Pasta in a greased ~9X13 baking dish.
Melt butter in sauce pan add flour stir until combined. Add ½ and ½ a little at a time stirring constantly. Keep string ½ and ½ mixture on medium low heat until thickened. Add nutmeg, sage, and pepper. Remove from heat add medium white cheddar and stir until sauce is smooth. Stir in mustard and hot sauce. Pour sauce over pasta, meat, and vegetables. Sprinkle with remaining sharp cheddar. Bake uncovered in 350° oven for 30 to 40 min. Remove from oven let stand for ten minutes and enjoy! Great left over too!