Butternut Squash Sauce with Pasta

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Butternut Squash Sauce with Pasta

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Ingredients

  

• 1 lb butternut squash ( 4 CUPS ) peeled and diced
• 1 small onion diced
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter or olive oil
• 1 tbsp fresh sage finely chopped
• kosher salt to taste
• black pepper to taste
• fresh grated nutmeg optional

Instructions

 

• 1. Heat butter or olive oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat, then add chopped sage and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add cubed squash, diced onion, 2 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. If your squash pieces are not submerged in water, add more water just until they are barely covered. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until squash is very tender and water has reduced considerably, about 15 to 20 minutes depending on the size of the squash pieces.

  2. While squash mixture simmers, cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water with a large pinch of kosher salt until al dente. Reserve a few cups of pasta cooking water, then drain pasta in a colander.

  3. When squash is knife tender, it’s done. Turn off the heat. If you have an immersion blender, purée mixture right in pot. If you don’t, transfer mixture to a food processor or blender and purée until smooth. Taste sauce. Add more salt if necessary. Add a grating of fresh nutmeg if you wish. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If it is too thin, simmer over low heat until it thickens. If it’s too thick, thin with some of the reserved pasta cooking liquid until it is the right consistency. 

  4. If you wish, stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano. (Note: I do not do this — the mixture tastes wonderful without any cheese, so I just serve the cheese on top of the pasta or I omit it if serving to vegan friends.)

  5. Place pasta in a serving bowl. Toss with enough butternut-sage sauce to coat nicely. Add a handful of parmesan cheese. If necessary, add a little bit of the reserved cooking water to thin it out. Shave parmesan and crack pepper over each bowl before serving.

  6. If you have extra sauce, store it in the fridge for a later date. The sauce thickens as it sits, so on subsequent uses, it will most likely be necessary to use the reserved cooking liquid to thin out.

Notes

FOR SERVING:

• 1 to 2 ounces (1/2 to 1 cup) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or cashew parmesan (to make it vegan)
• 1 lb penne rigate or rotini or whatever pasta shape you like

Keyword butternut squash, Pasta

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