4 cheese Stuffed Butternut Squash

Ingredients

• 1 head garlic, roasted
• 2 butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded (use smaller squash)
• Olive oil, for brushing
• Salt and pepper
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups fresh ricotta cheese
• 3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon grated orange or lemon zest (from organic fruit)
• 1 cup grated sharp white cheddar cheese
• 1 cup freshly grated pecorino cheese
• 1 cup freshly grated
• Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Roast the garlic. When cool enough to handle, squeeze the roasted garlic out of the skins into a bowl and mash the garlic cloves to a paste. At the same time as the garlic is roasting, brush the squash with EVOO and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
3. Roast the squash until just tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Leave the oven on.
4. When the squash is cool enough to handle, carefully scrape out the flesh into a bowl, leaving just enough flesh to keep the shells intact.
5. Add the garlic paste, ricotta, thyme, lemon zest, and 3/4 cup each of the cheddar, pecorino, and Parm to the bowl with the squash flesh and mix well.
6. Fill the squash shells and top with the remaining cheese.
7. Bake until browned and bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes.