Butternut Squash with Pasta: A Warm and Comforting Meal

Sifu Renka

November is right around the corner, meaning (hopefully) the weather will cool down, allowing us to indulge in rich, warm meals.

One of my favorite dishes to make during the fall and winter seasons is always a bowl full of comforting pasta. Probably because my mom always makes a delicious bolognese sauce to go with pasta at least three times a month.

Last year, my mom and I experimented with other ways to use the fresh ingredients available during the colder times of the year. There are so many types of squash available during the fall season, so we decided to use butternut squash in our pasta.

The deep orange colors of butternut squash make for a perfect winter pasta dish. It's warm, comforting and simply delicious.

First you'll need to roast the butternut squash in the oven at 475 degrees. Peel the squash and cut into bite-size pieces. The butternut squash is extremely thick, so be careful when cutting into it.

Once you have your chunks of squash, place them on a baking sheet and season with olive oil, brown sugar, salt, pepper and eight shallots, diced. The brown sugar and shallots will cater to the natural sweetness of the squash, but the olive oil, salt and pepper will make sure the squash doesn't become too sweet.

Roast the butternut squash in the oven for 20 minutes, or until you can stick a fork in them easily.

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Cook the pappardelle pasta for approximately 8-10 minutes, or until al dente.

Meanwhile, take this pasta to the next level by making a browned butter sauce with sage. Browned butter and sage go hand-in-hand with butternut squash. It's the sweet and savory factor.

In a large sauce pan, cook four tablespoons of butter and two tablespoons of sage over medium heat. Once it begins to brown, add two cloves of minced garlic and cook for one minute. Take the pan off the heat and remove the sage with a slotted spoon; crumble the sage and place to the side.

Once the pasta is completely cooked and the butternut squash is tender, add the pasta and butternut squash to the browned butter, then top with the crumbled sage and continue to cook until everything is incorporated together.

Season with salt and pepper to taste, and top each plate of pasta with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy your butternut squash pappardelle pasta dish for a wonderful, comforting dinner on a cold winter night...hopefully we get one of those soon.