Chef Graziella
Cannelloni Ricotta e Spinaci
Hand-rolled pasta sheets wrapped around a filling of ricotta and spinach, covered in besciamella and baked until golden. This is the Sunday cooking of Emilia-Romagna, made without shortcuts.
Culinary Explorer
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Sformato di Zucca
Created by
The elegant vegetable custard of Northern Italy, where winter squash transforms through roasting, binding, and baking into something worthy of the finest table. Simple ingredients, precise technique, profound results.
Main Dishes
Italian
Thanksgiving
Comfort Food
Make Ahead
45 min
Active Time
1 hr 15 min cook•2 hr total
Yield8 servings
Asformato is not a soufflé. Americans confuse the two because both involve eggs and baking, but the resemblance ends there. A soufflé demands immediate attention, collapsing within minutes of leaving the oven. A sformato waits patiently. It can rest. It can be reheated. It rewards the cook who plans ahead.
The word means 'unmolded,' though you need not unmold it at all. In homes across Emilia-Romagna and Piedmont, sformati appear at Sunday tables and holiday gatherings, turned out golden and trembling from their dishes or served simply with a spoon. The technique is the same whether you use squash, spinach, artichokes, or cauliflower: roast or cook the vegetable until concentrated, bind it with eggs and Parmigiano, bake it gently until set.
What you keep out matters as much as what you put in. There is no béchamel here, though some recipes call for it. There is no cream sauce ladled over the top. The squash speaks for itself, sweet and earthy, with nutmeg and Parmigiano providing the only counterpoint. When your ingredients are this simple, each one must be perfect.
Sformati emerged from the aristocratic kitchens of Northern Italy during the Renaissance, when wealthy households employed cooks trained in the elaborate molded dishes of French cuisine. Italian cooks adapted these techniques to local vegetables and cheeses, creating something distinctly their own. The vegetable sformato became a marker of bourgeois cooking by the 19th century, appearing in Artusi's foundational cookbook as a refined way to serve humble produce.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
butternut squash
Quantity
3 pounds (about 2 medium)
unsalted butter
Quantity
4 tablespoons, plus more for the dish
yellow onion
Quantity
1 small
diced fine
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Quantity
1/2 cup, plus more for the dish
freshly grated
large eggs
Quantity
4
heavy cream
Quantity
1/2 cup
nutmeg
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
freshly grated
kosher salt
Quantity
1 teaspoon
white pepper
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
freshly ground
fine dry breadcrumbs
Quantity
2 tablespoons
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| butternut squash | 3 pounds (about 2 medium) |
| unsalted butter | 4 tablespoons, plus more for the dish |
| yellow oniondiced fine | 1 small |
| Parmigiano-Reggianofreshly grated | 1/2 cup, plus more for the dish |
| large eggs | 4 |
| heavy cream | 1/2 cup |
| nutmegfreshly grated | 1/4 teaspoon |
| kosher salt | 1 teaspoon |
| white pepperfreshly ground | 1/4 teaspoon |
| fine dry breadcrumbs | 2 tablespoons |
Equipment Needed
- •2-quart baking dish or eight 6-ounce ramekins
- •Large roasting pan for water bath
- •Food processor
- •Small skillet
Instructions
- 1
Roast the squash
Heat your oven to 400°F. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place cut-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast until completely tender when pierced with a knife, 45 minutes to one hour depending on size. The flesh should offer no resistance whatsoever. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
Roasting concentrates the squash's natural sugars and drives off excess moisture. Steaming or boiling produces a watery puree that weakens the sformato's structure. - 2
Prepare the baking dish
Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Generously butter a 2-quart baking dish or eight individual ramekins. Combine the breadcrumbs with two tablespoons of grated Parmigiano and coat the interior of the dish, tapping out any excess. This creates a delicate crust that helps the sformato release and adds texture.
- 3
Cook the onion
Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the diced onion and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until completely soft and pale gold, about 15 minutes. The onion must not brown. You want its sweetness to complement the squash, not compete with it. Set aside to cool slightly.
- 4
Puree the squash
Scoop the roasted squash flesh from its skin and place in a food processor. You should have about three cups of flesh. Add the cooked onion with its butter. Process until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. The puree should be silky, with no lumps or fibers remaining.
- 5
Build the custard
Transfer the squash puree to a large bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the cream, the half cup of Parmigiano, nutmeg, salt, and white pepper. Taste the mixture. It should be well-seasoned and fragrant with nutmeg. The eggs will dull the seasoning slightly during baking, so err toward more salt rather than less.
White pepper is traditional here because it disappears into the golden puree. Black pepper is acceptable if that is what you have, but the flecks will show. - 6
Bake in a water bath
Pour the squash mixture into the prepared dish. Place the dish in a larger roasting pan and carefully pour hot water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the baking dish. This water bath ensures gentle, even cooking. Bake until the sformato is set around the edges but still has a slight wobble in the center, 45 to 55 minutes for a large dish, 25 to 30 minutes for individual ramekins.
- 7
Rest before serving
Remove from the water bath and let rest at least 15 minutes before serving. The sformato continues to set as it cools. You may serve it directly from the dish, spooning out portions, or unmold it onto a serving platter if you coated the dish properly. Run a thin knife around the edges, place a plate over the top, and invert with confidence.
Chef Tips
- •Butternut squash is widely available and reliably sweet. If you can find true Italian zucca, use it. Kabocha and red kuri squash also work beautifully, though their flesh is drier and you may need slightly more cream.
- •The water bath is not optional. Without it, the edges overcook before the center sets, and you end up with a curdled, weeping disaster. Hot water from the tap is sufficient. Do not use boiling water, which can splash and cause burns.
- •Sformato improves after resting and reheats gently. Make it the morning of your dinner party and warm it in a 300°F oven for 20 minutes before serving. This is not a compromise. It is an advantage.
- •Grate your own Parmigiano-Reggiano. The pre-grated powder in canisters has no place in Italian cooking. It tastes of sawdust and regret.
Advance Preparation
- •The squash can be roasted up to two days ahead and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.
- •The assembled sformato can be refrigerated unbaked for up to 24 hours. Add 10 minutes to the baking time if baking from cold.
- •The baked sformato can be held at room temperature for up to two hours or refrigerated overnight. Reheat gently in a 300°F oven until warmed through, about 20 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 165g)
Calories
240 calories
Total Fat
16 g
Saturated Fat
9 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
7 g
Cholesterol
135 mg
Sodium
390 mg
Total Carbohydrates
20 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
4 g
Protein
8 g
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