Pasta Pan-Fried with Butternut Squash

I was looking through a bunch of blogs I subscribe to the other day for a good seasonal recipe. I saw this one on Liz's Cooking Blog and had to try it.

Pasta Pan-Fried with Butternut Squash, Sage and Pine Nuts

adapted from Liz's Cooking Blog, originally from The Kitchn

Ingredients:

1 medium butternut squash

1 small sweet onion, peeled and diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

Olive Oil

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup fresh sage leaves

1 pound farfalle pasta

3/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

4 ounces high quality Parmesean, shredded or shaved

Directions:

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut the butternut squash in half and scoop out the strings and seeds from the middle cavity. Flip the squash halves upside down and peel them. Cut into 1 inch cubes. Toss with onion, garlic, a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper. Mince about half of the sage and also toss with the squash.

Spread the squash mixture in a thin layer on a baking sheet and roast for 40 minutes - until squash is soft.

Heat salted pasta water to boiling and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside. As the squash finishes roasting, heat about two tablespoons of olive oil in a large high sided saute pan. The oil is ready when it pops and sputters, but do not let it start smoking. Drop in the rest of the sage leaves and fry for about 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and salt lightly. Crush with the back of a spoon.

Add half the pasta to the pan, along with half the roasted squash mixture. Crumble in half the sage. Cook, stirring frequently, for five minutes or until the pasta is heated through and getting crispy on the edges. Add the pine nuts and cook for another minute. Stir in half the cheese and serve.

Repeat the final step with the remaining ingredients. If desired, you can chill the other half and pan-fry it the following night.

Servings: About 6

Modifications:

1. I used dried sage because I couldn't find fresh when I was shopping.

Review:

This was really good. I usually get a little squeamish when I make a dish without any meat, but this turned out really well. As far as meals with squash go, I would make this again before the Southwest Spaghetti Squash I made last week. The butternut squash and pine nuts really mixed well together. I would definitely make this again.