Cooking Instructions
1.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2.
Peel, deseed, and dice the
Butternut Squash (1)
.
3.
Place the cubed squash on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tbsp.
Olive Oil (2 Tbsp)
and toss with ½ tsp.
Kosher Salt (to taste)
¼ tsp.
Cayenne Pepper (as needed)
, and ¼ tsp.
Ground Nutmeg (as needed)
. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the squash is golden brown, tossing halfway through.
4.
Prepare
Large Rigatoni (1 lb)
according to package instructions, but undercook it by a couple of minutes so it is a bit shy of “al dente” (the noodles will soften more when they cook in the oven). Drain and set aside.
5.
Chop the
Bacon (12 oz)
into ½ inch pieces.
6.
Dice the
Onion (1)
and chop the
Fresh Thyme (2 Tbsp)
.
7.
In a large skillet over medium heat, fry the chopped bacon until crispy. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate and reserve the rendered bacon grease.
8.
Grate the
Smoked Gruyere Cheese (2 cups)
,
Aged White Cheddar (2 cups)
, and
Gouda (1 1/4 cups)
.
9.
Sauté the onion in 2 tbsp. bacon grease and a pinch of salt until soft, about 5 minutes. Melt in 2 tbsp of
Unsalted Butter (2 Tbsp)
10.
When the butter is melted, whisk in the
All-Purpose Flour (4 Tbsp)
stirring constantly for 2 minutes, until the flour is toasted. Stir in the thyme.
11.
In a steady stream, whisk in the
Whole Milk (3 cups)
until the sauce thickens.
12.
Add the roasted squash to the sauce, mashing with a potato masher, wooden spoon, or a fork until almost completely smooth.
13.
Stir in the
Dijon Mustard (1 Tbsp)
and remaining
Cayenne Pepper (as needed)
and
Ground Nutmeg (as needed)
14.
Stir in the grated cheeses (reserve about ¾ cup of the cheeses for the topping) until melted and smooth. Whisk in additional milk as needed to loosen the sauce.
15.
Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
16.
In a large bowl, combine the pasta, half the crisped bacon, and the sauce. Transfer the mixture to a greased baking dish.
17.
Melt the remaining
Unsalted Butter (4 Tbsp)
and stir in the
Panko Breadcrumbs (3/4 cup)
.
18.
Sprinkle the remaining bacon over the dish, followed by the cheeses and then the breadcrumbs.
19.
Transfer to the oven to bake for 20 minutes, until golden-brown and bubbling.
