Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce
The following recipe and photography were provided by local blogger Carolyn Hodges of The Dinner Shift.
Here’s a recipe I hope you’ll try before winter squash season ends! I like to incorporate winter squash into lots of meals during the cooler months. They’re great for sheet pan meals and soups, but the possibilities are truly endless. This Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta is one example of a unique way to serve one of my favorite hard squash varieties.
To build the base of the pasta sauce, butternut squash, tomatoes, shallots and garlic are seasoned with sage and roasted in the oven. While the vegetables roast, boil some pasta, reserving a couple cups of the pasta water before draining.
The roasted vegetables are blended with the reserved pasta water and Heinen’s 24-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano to make a creamy and luscious sauce. You can serve the sauce with any type of pasta, though I suggest a short twisted pasta, like Heinen’s artisan organic fusilloni.
Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce
Servings: 4-6
Ingredients
- 1 small-to-medium butternut squash (about 2 ½ lbs.)
- 2 medium tomatoes on-the-vine
- 1 large shallot
- 4-5 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup Heinen’s olive oil
- 1 ½ tsp. Heinen’s dried sage
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. cracked black pepper
- ½ cup Heinen’s 24-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for serving
- 1 lb. Heinen’s artisan organic fusilloni pasta
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425º F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Peel the butternut squash and scoop out the seeds. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Quarter the tomatoes and spoon out the seeds. Peel the shallot and coarsely chop. Peel the garlic cloves (keep whole).
- Toss the vegetables together on the sheet pan with the oil, sage, salt and black pepper. Roast in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, stirring once halfway through, or until the squash is fork-tender.
- Cook the pasta al dente according to the package directions. Reserve 2 cups of pasta water, then drain well and return the pasta to the pot.
- Transfer the roasted vegetables to a blender and add 1 cup of pasta water and the parmesan cheese. Blend until very smooth, adding more pasta water as needed to thin. Season to taste with additional salt.
- Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta (start with about 2-3 cups of sauce and add more to taste). Serve topped with additional parmesan cheese.
