Tomato Tomatoe

butternut squash pasta with sage breadcrumbs & guanciale

Coming from an Italian background, I generally stick to making simple and traditional Italian pastas that my grandma used to make. I love the classic Italian pastas like algio e olio, carbonara and a simple red sauce, however, I will make an exception to steer away from the classics when butternut squash is in season. You won’t find this pasta in an Italian kitchen but it uses principles from Italian cooking by using simple and fresh ingredients.

When fall rolls around I love including this pasta in my weeknight cooking because it’s really easy to put together and it’s comforting. I like to add a few additional toppings which brings the dish together. The first is guanciale. Of course this step is totally optional (but highly recommended) but adding the guanciale adds a salty, fatty flavourto the pasta. If you can’t find guanciale you can substitute with pancetta. The second topping I add is sage breadcrumbs. I make these by toasting sourdough breadcrumbs and giving them a quick blitz in the food processor. You could also use your favourite store bought breadcrumbs and toast them in a pan with olive oil. The most important aspect to this recipe is the sage breadcrumbs. You can’t skip this step! Sage is the star herb of fall cooking and it’s absolutely necessary in this pasta.

This is by far one of my favourite fall pastas ever! Your brain gets disguised into thinking you’re eating mac and cheese but it’s actually just the creamy butternut squash sauce. The sauce is creamy and luscious making this pasta the perfect comforting meal for fall. The flavours in this pasta are sweet, nutty and earthy. I make this pasta a few times during the fall season because I just can’t get enough! I’ve also made this pasta using frozen butternut squash and it works as a great alternative if you don’t have any fresh butternut squash.

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butternut squash pasta with sage breadcrumbs & guanciale

Ingredients

• 1 box of cavatelli (or any pasta shape you have)
• 3 cups butternut squash (1 small butternut squash), cut into cubes
• olive oil for roasting the squash + for the sourdough croutons
• 2 small onions
• 8-10 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 4 garlic cloves
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2- 1 cup pasta water
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 cup of sourdough breadcrumbs or store bought that have been toasted in a pan in olive oil
• 10 sage leaves
• 4 slices of sourdough bread
  

Directions

1. Peel the squash and cut into cubes. Cut the onion in half and add to a large baking sheet along with the squash and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add fresh sprigs of thyme on top. Roast in the oven at 400° F for 30-40 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and slightly caramelized.
2. While the vegetables roast, make the sage breadcrumbs. Slice your sourdough bread into small cubes. Toss the bread cubes in olive oil, salt and pepper. While the squash is roasting, bake the croutons in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until they are golden. Let these cool and add to a food processor and blitz until the croutons are in smaller pieces.
3. Add a drizzle of olive oil to a pan set to medium-low heat. Once the pan is hot, add the whole sage leaves. Let these crisp on both sides for a few minutes. Once crispy, remove from the pan and set aside in a bowl. Crush the sage leaves with your fingers and mix them with the breadcrumbs. Set aside.
4. Add the roasted vegetables to a food processor with milk and nutmeg. Add 1/4 cup of filtered water if the sauce is too thick and not blending.
5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook for 2 minutes less than what the package says.
6. Heat a large Dutch oven to medium heat. Pour in the squash purée and let this heat up while the pasta cooks. Once the pasta is ready, add it to the sauce along with 1/2 of pasta water and 3 tbsp of butter. Let this cook for a few minutes. The pasta sauce should be smooth and creamy. If the sauce is too thick, add more pasta water. Off the heat add freshly grated Parmigiana Reggiano. Top with sage breadcrumbs and