Bow-ties with Butternut Parmesan Sauce

Ingredients: 
2 1/2 lb. butternut squash
1 lb. bow tie pasta
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 c. diced shallots
1 pint heavy cream
3/4 c. freshly shredded parmesan cheese
Dash of nutmeg
1 tbsp. chopped parsley 
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp. lemon juice
Water as needed to thin the sauce


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 and pour 1/4 cup of water into a baking dish and set aside. Slice butternut squash in half length wise and scoop out the seeds. Place the squash cut side down in the prepared baking dish and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until squash is soft. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes and then scoop all the squash flesh into a bowl, discard the skins and mash squash well with a fork, pastry blender or potato masher.
Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat the oik in a large skillet over medium heat and saute the shallots until tender. Add the squash puree and stir well to combine with shallots. Stir in the cream, 1 tablespoon at a time to avoid clumping. Next, add the parmesan and stir until melted.
Remove from heat and add nutmeg, parsley, salt, pepper, lemon juice and water if needed. Once pasta is cooked, serve sauce poured over the top. Garnish with additional shredded parmesan and parsley. Serves 6.

Recipes adapted from here

Notes: I never buy heavy cream or fresh parmesan so this dish was such a treat! It was like a little taste of heaven in my mouth :) I found it on simplyrecipes.com last fall and I've been dying to try it...and it was worth the wait!

One year ago: Pumpkin Bread