It’s officially fall, which means squash is everywhere … and I love it! In fact, I couldn’t resist buying a bag of zucchette pasta at Trader Joe’s and two honeynut squash from the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market recently. With the addition of a few more ingredients, I was able to rustle up this pasta with butternut squash and sage dish.
It’s super simple to prepare and surprisingly delicious. Then again, you can’t go wrong with a recipe that includes carbs, butter and cheese. If you’re in the mood for meat, add some cooked sausage or crumbled bacon to the mix. Of course, I think pasta with butternut squash and sage is perfect as is.
Recipe adapted from Serious Eats.
Pasta with Butternut Squash and Sage
Makes 2-4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small butternut squash (about 1 pound), peeled, seeded and cut into ½" cubes (see notes)
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 8 ounces zucchette or other short pasta
- grated Pecorino Romano cheese, to taste
Instructions
- In a fry pan, heat olive oil over high heat until almost smoking. Add butternut squash, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add butter and shallot and cook, stirring frequently, until butter is lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Add sage and stir to combine. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook zucchette until al dente according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.
- Add zucchette and 2 tablespoons reserved cooking liquid to fry pan and toss gently to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook until heated through. If necessary, add more reserved cooking liquid to loosen the sauce.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with Pecorino Romano cheese and serve immediately.
Notes
I used a mix of butternut and honeynut squash.
