Promised to taste “rich and creamy”, Tom Kerridge’s butternut squash pasta bake is super simple to do.

Elaborating on the flavours that make the dish so delicious, Tom said: “It’s all about the toppings.

“[There are] crunchy seeds and breadcrumbs, sweet chunks of butternut squash and nuggets of acidity from the sun-blushed tomatoes.”

Cooked to perfection, there will also be enough food to feed up to six people in one evening, especially if served with a lovely green salad.

And if there aren’t six mouths to feed, there will be plenty of food left over for another day. Here’s how to recreate Tom Kerridge’s butternut squash pasta bake recipe. 

Butternut squash pasta bake

Ingredients

• 1kg butternut squash, cut into 2cm chunks
• One tbsp olive oil
• 500g macaroni
• Sea salt and black pepper

For the cheese sauce:

• 60g butter
• 60g plain flour
• One litre whole milk
• One tbsp liquid aminos
• 60g Parmesan, finely grated
• Quarter tsp freshly grated nutmeg

For the topping:

• A handful of sage leaves
• 40g sun-blushed tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 50g fresh breadcrumbs
• Two tbsp pumpkin oil (or use olive oil)
• Two tbsp pumpkin seeds

Method

Preheat the oven to 220°C (fan 200C/gas seven). Line a large roasting tray with baking parchment.

Place the squash in the roasting tray. Drizzle with the olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat.

Cook on the top shelf of the oven for 25 minutes or until the squash is tender and browned at the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly for a couple of minutes. (Keep the oven on.)

Tip three-quarters of the roasted squash into a blender and blitz to a purée; set the rest aside.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the macaroni and cook until almost al dente (two to three minutes less than the time suggested on the packet).

Making the sauce

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for one minute, then whisk in the milk until the sauce thickens.

Lower the heat and add the liquid aminos, Parmesan and nutmeg. Stir until the cheese has melted, then stir through the squash purée to make a rich, smooth sauce. Take off the heat and season with salt and pepper.

Drain the macaroni, add to the sauce and stir well. Tip into a large, deep baking dish. Scatter over the rest of the roasted squash, the sage, sun-blushed tomatoes and breadcrumbs. Drizzle with the oil. Place on the middle shelf of the oven, turning on the oven grill at the same time. Bake for 10 minutes.

Take out the dish, scatter the pumpkin seeds evenly over the surface and return to the oven for five minutes or until the topping is golden. Serve at once, with a green salad.