Baked Manfredi Lunghi Pasta with Butternut Squash Sauce and Sausage

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a straight sided 12 x 17- inch baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and set aside.

2. Add the ricotta, Calabrian chili paste, and a ¼ teaspoon of salt to a small bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil along with the Italian  sausage. Cook, undisturbed until the sausage is beginning to brown on one side, about 3  minutes. Use a wooden spoon to break the sausage up into bite-size pieces and continue to  cook, stirring as needed, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the shallot, garlic, and  dried sage and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and softened, about 3  minutes. Remove from heat.

4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season the boiling water generously with salt.  Be sure that the pot is large enough for the pasta to swim freely. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid clumping. Add the rapini to the pot and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Reserve ¾ cup of pasta water before draining.

5. While the pasta is cooking, add the butternut squash puree to the pan with the sausage mixture and stir to evenly combine. Add the pasta water, pasta, rapini, heavy cream, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ cup of parmesan cheese to the pan and mix well.

6. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and spread into an evenly layer. Dollop tablespoon sized scoops of the ricotta mixture evenly over the pasta. Top with the mozzarella cheese and remaining parmesan cheese. Bake until the cheese is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling, about 25 minutes.

7. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.