1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeds discarded, flesh chopped
into small cubes
2 tsp olive oil
small pack sage, leaves picked and roughly chopped
8 good-quality sausages
good grating nutmeg, about ΒΌ of a whole one
350g conchiglioni, see below
50g butter
50g plain flour
850ml milk
50g parmesan, grated, plus extra for sprinkling
100g fontina, grated, or 125g ball mozzarella, chopped
drizzle of truffle oil
Method
Place the squash in a microwavable bowl with 1 tbsp water. Cook in
the microwave on High for 10 mins or until soft. Meanwhile, heat the oil
in a frying pan, add the sage leaves and sizzle for 1 min. Remove the
sausages from their skins and divide into small balls about the size of
unshelled hazelnuts. Add to the pan and fry until browned. Add half the
squash and set aside. Mash the remaining squash with any liquid from the
bowl, the nutmeg and seasoning.
Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Cook the pasta following pack
instructions. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the
flour and stir to a paste. Cook for 1-2 mins, stirring the whole time,
then gradually mix in the milk until you have a smooth sauce. Add the
mashed squash, Parmesan and plenty of seasoning. Add 3-4 tbsp of the
sauce to the sausage mix to moisten it a little.
Spread the remaining squash sauce over the base of a large, shallow
baking dish. Drain the pasta, but keep a little liquid in the pan to
stop the shells from sticking together. Fish any broken bits of pasta
out of the pan and scatter these over the sauce. Line up the shells on
top, pushing them down into the sauce so only the tops of the shells are
poking out. Fill each shell with the sausage mixture. Scatter with
fontina or mozzarella, grate over some extra Parmesan and drizzle with a
little truffle oil, if you like. Bake for 30 mins or until golden
brown.