Baked Goat Cheese and Roasted Winter Squash over Garlicky Fettuccine

This is a recipe that we love, and one of the few vegetarian dishes that Marc will be happy to eat. Look for mild goat cheese if you don't love, or are not familiar with it. The best way to eat this is to get all the components into one bite. The sour of the goat cheese mixed with the sweet of the squash is wonderful! You can buy pre-cubed butternut squash at Costco to cut down on preparation time.

Ingredients

• 6 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled kabocha or butternut squash (about 2 1/4 pounds)
• 1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• Cooking spray
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 (4-ounce) packages goat cheese
• 1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 1 pound uncooked fettuccine
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Rosemary sprigs (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°.

Place squash and bell pepper in a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon oil; toss well. Arrange vegetables in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, rosemary, and black pepper. Bake at 425° for 40 minutes, stirring once.

Place goat cheese in freezer 10 minutes. Cut cheese crosswise into 8 equal rounds. Place breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl. Dredge each round in breadcrumbs; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 6 minutes.

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water. Return pasta to pan; add reserved pasta cooking water, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, red pepper, and garlic, tossing to coat. Place 1 1/4 cups pasta in each of 8 shallow bowls; top each serving with about 1/2 cup squash mixture and 1 goat cheese round. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, if desired.