Handmade Honey Bear Winter Squash and White Whole Wheat Spaetzle Covered in a Creamy and Cheesy Squash Sauce, Seasoned with Thyme, Black Pepper and Fresh Basil
I was SO excited when I saw squash in this week’s CSA share (THANK YOU Taproot Farm)! I am a huge squash lover and I have so much fun finding ways in which squash can be incorporated into various meals. The idea for this spaetzle came to mind after watching someone make a traditional spaetzle with mushrooms on Food Network. I instantly was hungry for spaetzle, but knew I wanted to craft up something a little more unique. That is when I got the idea for this Honey Bear Winter Squash Spaetzle! I definitely feel like I got lucky in terms of the squash working out super great in this recipe. It’s always tricky when you try to make any sort of “dough” product for the first time and ensuring you get all the measurements right to balance everything out. I also did not have a spaetzle maker on hand (as I am sure most people don’t haha!), so I pressed my dough through large holes in a spatula I had at home (you can also use a colander from what I read online). Amazingly, it worked out great! Only catch with this recipe is you have to cook the squash first and have it ready. My suggestion is to cook it all up at once, spoon it in a container and store it so it’s ready for all your squash recipe needs. I hope you all enjoy this unique and tasty recipe as much as I have – happy spaetzle making! 🙂
Serves 4 People as a Meal
*Squash Needs Precooked Prior to Making Meal ~ Instructions Below*
Recipe by © Alysha Melnyk 2018
Kitchen Tools:
For Squash Cooking:
Oven, Preheated to 375°F
Baking Dish
Knife
For Spaetzle Making:
Large Pasta Pot
Slotted Spoon
Sauté Pan
Dry Measuring Cups
Liquid Measuring Cups
Measuring Spoons
Whisk
Mixing Bowl
Spatula with Large Holes or Colander or Spaetzle Maker
Colander
Ingredients:
For Squash Roasting:
3 Honey Bear Winter Squash
For Spaetzle:
1 Cup Cooked Honey Bear Squash
1 and 1/2 Cups White Whole Wheat Flour
2 Large Eggs
1/4 Cup Whole Milk
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon White Pepper
For Sauce:
3/4 Cup Cooked Honey Bear Squash
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
1/2 Cup Asiago Cheese, Shredded
1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
For Seasoning:
1/2 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
1/8 ~ 1/4 Salt (*To Taste)
Black Pepper
Fresh Basil
Instructions:
1. First and foremost, if you need to cook your squash do that immediately. Pierce the squash all over with a sharp knife and place in an oven safe baking dish. Cook squash for 45 minutes at 375°F. Allow to cool, scoop out seeds and slimy parts, then scoop out flesh into a container.
2. Fill a pasta pot 3/4 full with water and bring to a boil.
3. While the water is heating, combine cooked squash, white whole wheat flour, large eggs, whole milk, salt and white pepper in a mixing bowl. Mix to combine (you can use a whisk or spoon to do this, but it does get fairly thick. I used my hands to help combine everything at one point and break apart large pieces. It should have a sticky but firm consistency and you should use more flour if needed.).
4. Place a colander in your sink so it is ready for the spaetzle.
5. Once the water is boiling, take your dough in parts and push through the holes of your spatula or colander (or use your spaetzle maker) to drop dough pieces into the boiling water.
6. Spaetzle will rise to the top of the water (indicating it’s cooked) and you can scoop it out using a slotted spoon and place in colander. No rush to do this immediately once the pieces float to the top – once the top of the pan was crowded with cooked spaetzle, I removed them and then did another batch.
7. Once all dough is used and all cooked spaetzle is in the colander, rinse spaetzle with cold water and set aside.
8. In a small mixing bowl for the sauce, combine cooked squash, heavy cream and asiago cheese, then mix to combine as evenly as possible (the sauce will be thick).
9. Place butter in the sauté pan and melt, then spoon in sauce and allow to heat. Use a spoon to mix/spread the sauce all over the base of the sauté pan.
10. Next, add in cooked spaetzle and gently toss to coat with the sauce and heat.
11. Stir in thyme, salt and black pepper.
12. Spoon on serving plate and top with fresh basil if desired.
13. Enjoy! 🙂
*Store leftovers in the refrigerator.*
