Pasta With Butternut Squash and Sage Brown Butter

• servings: 6 servings
• total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (30ml)

1 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (450g; about 1/2 large squash)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted butter (30g)

1 small shallot, finely minced (about 1 ounce; 30g)

1 handful fresh sage leaves, finely minced (about 1/2 ounce; 15g)

1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon (15ml)

1 pound small cupped, tubular, or ridged pasta such as orecchiette, penne, farfalle, or rotini (450g)

1 ounce grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (30g)

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large stainless steel or cast-iron skillet over high heat until very lightly smoking. Immediately add squash, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring and tossing occasionally, until well-browned and squash is tender, about 5 minutes. Add butter and shallots and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until butter is lightly browned and smells nutty, about 1 minute longer. Add sage and stir to combine (sage should crackle and let off a great aroma). Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine pasta with enough room temperature or hot water to cover by about 2 inches. Season with salt. Set over high heat and bring to a boil while stirring frequently. Cook, stirring frequently, until pasta is just shy of al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain pasta, reserving a couple cups of the starchy cooking liquid.

Add pasta to skillet with squash along with a splash of pasta water. Bring to a simmer over high heat and cook until the pasta is perfectly al dente, stirring and tossing constantly and adding a splash of water as needed to keep the sauce loose and shiny. Off heat, stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and texture with more pasta water as needed. Serve immediately, top with more cheese at the table.

Notes

Add leafy green like kale

Nutrition

• Serving Size: Serves 4 to 6
• Calories: 251 kcal
• Total Fat: 11 g
• Saturated Fat: 4 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 15 mg
• Sodium: 410 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 33 g
• Dietary Fiber: 4 g
• Total Sugars: 2 g
• Protein: 7 g