Butternut Squash Casserole

Ingredients:

1 small butternut squash, peeled and 1/4″ dice (about 4–5 cups)
1 1/2 cups Arborio or short-grain rice, dry
1 tablespoon sage, dried or freshly minced
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
1 teaspoon salt
5 cups spinach, roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
Fresh sage leaves, to serve (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
In a large skillet on medium heat, add chopped spinach with 2 tablespoons of water. Using a wooden spoon or tongs, gently toss and turn the spinach until spinach wilts, ensuring all the raw leaves make contact with the pan. Once wilted, turn off the heat and set it aside to cool slightly.
In a large bowl, add ricotta cheese, spinach, sage, nutmeg, and salt and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula, and mix until well combined.
In a large 2 or 3-quart baking dish (I used a 9 x 13 baking dish), add the butternut squash and rice, and stir to combine. For the best results, ensure that the squash is cut into small, bite-sized, 1/4″ cube pieces. Doing so will ensure it cooks evenly with the rice and provide a more consistent texture to the dish.
Transfer the ricotta cheese mixture to the baking dish with the squash and rice, and dollop it evenly across the top. Add broth and then give everything a good stir until everything is well incorporated and evenly dispersed in the baking dish.
Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and then transfer to the oven to bake for 40-45 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
Once complete, remove the baking dish from the oven, remove the aluminum foil, and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Return the casserole dish to the oven, uncovered, for a final 5-10 minutes until the cheese has melted and is slightly golden.
Optional: While the casserole is baking, you can fry some sage leaves to top the casserole. Warm a few tablespoons of olive oil in a pan to medium-high heat, then add fresh sage leaves, working in batches, and fry for 3-5 seconds until golden, watching them closely to ensure they do not burn. Once fried, use tongs to remove them from the pan, place on a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb any excess oil, and sprinkle with a bit of salt.
Once the cheese has melted, remove the casserole from the oven, allow to cool slightly and top it with fried sage (optional) before serving. Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or freezer for up to 3 months.

I await your comments! Enjoy!