Butternut squash cheesy pasta

Happy New Year! We have a new puppy in our house and boy oh boy does he not like me typing away on my laptop. He isn't a big fan of cooking either unless tasty treats hit the floor for him. Basically he isn't a fan of anything, be it a computer or a saucepan, that distracts our attention from him. However, he is willing to war with brussel sprout stalks while we cook!

Somehow we managed to cook some food yesterday to celebrate New Year's Eve at home. One of the dishes we made was a butternut squash pasta dish. I first made this dish with friends in Texas and we based it on a recipe in a macaroni and cheese cookbook. We had it as a side dish with a pork tenderloin that time around. And this time it was served with chicken tenders, potato wedges, and an assortment of dips.

First I put water on to boil and I began cooking the pasta when I started cooking the squash. I used about 3/4 lb. of fusilli.

Next I peeled, deseeded, and chopped 1 small butternut squash. I also chopped 2 cloves of garlic (the recipe calls for several cloves to be sauteed and several to be added raw at the end but I left out the raw garlic) and about 8 leaves of fresh sage.

On medium heat, I sauteed the squash in 1T butter until it was nearly cooked (about 10 minutes). I then added the garlic and sage and cooked this for 2-3 more minutes. I turned off the heat and added chopped prosciutto (1-2 ounces). I let this mixture stand while the pasta finished cooking.

When the pasta was cooked, I drained it and reserved about 1/4C of the cooking liquid to mix back in with the other ingredients. Here comes the cheese! And no less than three kinds! The recipe calls for creme fraiche, fontina, and parmesan. I used about 3 ounces of grated asiago, 1/4C parmesan, and 2T ricotta cheeses. I mixed these cheeses in with the pasta and cooking liquid and then added the squash mixture. Voila! Squash macaroni and cheese!