winter squash and spinach pasta bake

I am in awe of people who can make a meal plan, repeating many favorite dishes weekly or several times a year, knowing that they love what they love. Because I’m not: I like shiny new recipes. My favorite thing to cook will always be the last new thing I made. All attempts to be a responsible sort of person with a plan are consistently jettisoned by a sparkly whim that landed in my head in the last day or two, like aBig Apple Crumb Cake. Or, in this case, anOttolenghi recipe from The GuardianI apparently bookmarked over three years ago and forgot about untilthis stunning imageflashed across my screen a few weeks ago and all of my best-laid October plans were kicked to the curb. I haven’t a single regret. This is not a usual pasta bake. We do not boil the noodles. We do not make or buy a sauce. We do not roast the winter squash or even sauté the greens. We throw every single ingredient raw into a big bowl for mixing and pour that into a parchment-slung springform (or equivalently-sized pan) pan and bake it for 90 minutes. That’s the rub; it takes a long time to cook. But this time is entirely hands-off, save removing the foil midway. You won’t be scrubbing pots, as the sum of your dishes to wash will be a cutting board, knife, whisk, grater, and a bowl. What emerges from the oven is savory fall decadence. The proportions are upended — depending on your perspective, this has either half the pasta or twice the vegetables of most pasta bakes of this size. The squash softened, the spinach perfectly cooked, the noodles tender in the center and burnished to a snatch-able crisp on top, and the fragrance of garlic and toasted cheese is everywhere I want to be. 6 months ago:Spring Asparagus Galette1 year ago:Skillet Turkey Chili2 years ago:Chicken Curry3 years ago:Even More Perfect Apple Pie4 years ago:Quick Pasta and ChickpeasandChocolate Olive Oil Cake5 years ago:Garlic Wine and Butter Steamed Clams,Baked Alaska,Indian-Spiced Cauliflower SoupandSkillet-Baked Pasta with Five Cheeses6 years ago:My Old-School Baked ZitiandCannoli Pound Cake7 years ago:Better Chicken Pot PiesandBetter Chocolate Babka8 years ago:Miso Sweet Potato and Broccoli Bowland Purple Plum Torte9 years ago:Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls10 years ago:Apple Pie Cookies11 years ago:Mushroom Lasagna12 years ago:Quiche LorraineandBreakfast Apple Granola Crisp13 years ago:Majestic and Moist Honey Cake,Best Challah (Egg Bread), andMom’s Apple Cake14 years ago:Peter Reinhart’s BagelsandPeanut Butter Brownies15 years ago:Lemon Cake