This easy recipe lays out a tasty way to roast butternut squash and then turn it into a beautiful comfort food pasta.
Ciao Bellos & Bellas! I hope you all had a chance to #EawtithoseyouLoveTM, or at least like, over Thanksgiving. My job was making roasting the squash for the big day and I had the inspiration to take this beautiful gourd and turn it into something more.
By the way this sauce has no cream in it and can even be made without cheese if you wish to make it vegan. The full recipe is laid out step by step below. Enjoy!
I have a few spaces left in my Gnocchi and Fresh Pasta classes on Sunday, October 20th. As I always say these aren’t just cooking classes Vancouver they’re Italian experiences.
Please feel free to email me with questions, suggestions, or share and post the recipe. Also remember to tag me @pastaboypeter, and if you have a moment leave a Google review about your experience in my classes. Now go and make pasta!
Roast Butternut Squash Pasta
As with any recipe always use safe cooking procedures, & food safe practices. Health Canada is a great site for all food safe guidelines. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/topics/food-safety.html
Ingredients and Equipment:
- 1 medium to medium large Butternut squash (They’re in season throughout BC and can be bought at Vancouver Farmers Markets)
- 5 TBSP of olive oil with more as needed
- 1 cup of grated Pecorino Romano cheese. Leave this out for a vegan option. (you can use Parmesano too or a combination of both)
- Nutmeg, Salt, Pepper & Chili flakes all to taste
- 3 to 4 paper thin slices of prosciutto (optional)
- 1 clove of garlic
- 500 grams of Bronze extruded long pasta, Spaghetti & Linguini, work well. (Approximately 1 pound. The recipe below is written for dry pasta, but fresh pasta like I teach in my classes works amazingly.)
- Baking tray or dish large enough to hold the roasted butternut squash
- Large boiling pot for pasta water
- Large sauce pan to toss the pasta and sauce in
- Blender, or food processor
- Ladle, calendar, serving spoon, spoons etc.
- Large serving bowl, preferably ceramic
How to roast the Butternut squash and creating the cream sauce:
Set your oven to bake and preheat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, 205 degrees Celsius.
Wash your butternut squash. Slice the stem portion off the top and bottom.
Scoop out the seeds from the inside part of the gourd. Do not throw them out. Toss them in a drizzle of olive oil, plus salt and pepper to taste. Separate out the seeds and set aside to roast.
Grab a baking dish, or cookie sheet, and lie your squash skin side down. Drizzle with olive oil, and allow a little to settle in the hollowed out centre. Season with salt, pepper and chilli flakes to taste.
Once the oven heats to temperature slide in your tray on the middle rack. Set your timer for 1 hour and roast.
Grate 1 cup of Pecorino or Parmeseano cheese. You could also combine both of them.
Take your seeds and lay them on a small sheet tray or baking dish. Once your squash has roasted for 10 to 15 minutes add your seeds to the oven. Roast your seeds until they are toasted.
Carefully remove your toasted seeds and return your tray or dish to the oven. Allow it to heat up for approximately 5 minutes. Remove the tray. Lay your prosciutto on the tray. It should begin to sizzle and cook. Return to the oven and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes.
The prosciutto should become darker and may begin to go golden brown. Remove the prosciutto from the tray and lay it out on a dish lined with paper towel. As it cools it should become crisp and you should be abple to break or crumble it as a garnish for your pasta.
Check your roast squash at 1hr and keep cooking until it is fork tender and can be mashed. Once it is ready remove the squash from the oven and let them cool to the point wher you can handle them.
Once you can handle them save any liquid that has collected in the hollows of the squash and set aside.
Scoop out three quarters of your squash in small chunks and place them in your blender or food processor. Add ½ your olive oil, the juices and oil collected from the squash, your clove of garlic and half the cheese to your mixture.
Take the final quarter of your squash and cube it. Set it aside to finish your pasta with. You can blend all the squash if you wish.
Grate in some fresh nutmeg or if you only have powdered use that. If you don’t have nutmeg substitute a little cinnamon. With either add just a little to begin with because they can overpower the sauce.
A leaf of sage would also be good for a little variation.
Blend all the ingredients together until you get a smooth and creamy sauce.
You may need to add a bit more oil but wait as we will soon add a few drops of pasta water.
Combining the Pasta & the Sauce:
If you haven’t already boil 4 litres (minimum) in a large pot for pasta. Add your pasta to the water and cook until just before al dente
IF your pan is not big enough to combine all the ingredients follow these directions.
Warm a large ceramic bowl. When your pasta is almost al dente add a ½ TBSP of pasta water to your sauce and blend it to help the sauce emulsify. It should ot be watery but have thickened up even more. If you need add another TBSP of olive oil. Taste your sauce and season as needed.
Add one third of your sauce to your warmed ceramic bowl.
Cook the pasta to al dente, strain and add the pasta to the bowl, then toss it with the sauce. Finish it with more sauce and seasoning to taste. Garnish the dish with small pieces of prosciutto, roasted pumpkin seeds, squash cubes and a little more pecorino cheese.
Plate it
IF your pan is big enough for all the ingredients then follow these directions.
When your pasta is almost al dente (as a guide use 1 to 2 minutes before the cooking time stated on the packaged pasta) add 1 TBSP of pasta water to your sauce and blend to help it emulsify. Save ½ a cup of pasta water in case you need it to finish your pasta. Drain your pasta immediately and add it to the sauce pan.
Turn your heat down to low, add the three quarters of the sauce to the pan, and place it on the stove. Swirl & mix to combine all the flavours until it emulsifies or thickens. If it is too thick add a TBSP of pasta water at time until the pasta is finished cooking, and clings to the pasta almost like cream.
Plate it and finish with more sauce and seasoning to taste. Garnish the dish with small pieces of prosciutto, roasted pumpkin seeds, squash cubes and a little more pecorino cheese.
If you like more chew cook the pasta less. Plate it and eat!
An easy roast Butternut squash recipe that is simple, tasty & healthy! If you enjoyed this one please share, like and comment then join us for a cooking class in Vancouver.
Now go and always #EatwiththoseyouLove TM
Peter
Pasta Boy Peter – Cooking Classes Vancouver
Copyright Peter Ciuffa of Pasta Boy Peter Inc. 2019
Gonna make this tonight! Grazie bello!
Bella I’m so happy you like it! let me know how it turns out!!!