Here's a simple little fall-time pasta dish with sweet roasted butternut squash and nutty brown butter. It's one of those dishes that makes even a weeknight meal feel special, especially if you splurge for fresh fettuccine noodles and a nice bottle of wine. Serve it with a salad of bitter greens, apples, and walnuts on the side, and dinner is ready.

I think it's worth taking the time to roast the butternut squash for this dish until the cubes are completely soft and caramelized. The silky texture and deep-roasted flavor really make the dish come together. Since spending an hour to roast squash isn't always practical, I either save this recipe for a lazy weekend afternoon or I roast the squash ahead of time for a mid-week meal. You can also roast the squash just until tender, about 15 minutes, and skip the caramelizing.
Other than that, there's really nothing complicated about this dish! Browning the butter and crisping the sage can be done in the time it takes the pasta to cook. A sprinkle of pine nuts and a snowy layer of parmesan on top of each bowl are the final touch.
Make it. Eat it. Love it. Happy Fall, everyone!

Fettuccine with Roasted Butternut Squash, Brown Butter & Sage
Serves 41 small butternut squash, about 2 pounds
1/2 pound fettuccini noodles
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
10-15 whole sage leaves, sliced cross-wise into very thin ribbons
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup cup pine nuts
Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat the oven to 450°F.
Peel the squash, scrape out the seeds, and cut it into 1/2-inch cubes. Toss the cubes with a little olive oil and salt, and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 45-60 minutes, stirring the cubes every 15 minutes, until they are tender and beginning to show caramelized brown spots. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta with a generous amount of salt for 7-9 minutes, or according to package instructions. Scoop out 1/2 cup of pasta cooking liquid before draining, then drain the pasta and set aside.
While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Swirl the pan occasionally and cook until the butter has turned caramel-brown and smells nutty, about 5 minutes.
Add the sage leaves to the browned butter and let them fry for a few seconds until crispy. Add the roasted butternut squash, nutmeg, and a half teaspoon of salt to the pan and stir until the squash is evenly coated with butter. Pour in 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta liquid and let this bubble into a thin sauce. Taste and add more salt if needed. Add the cooked pasta, tossing to coat and mix evenly. Remove from heat.
Transfer the pasta into a large serving bowl or individual pasta bowls. Top with the pine nuts and a generous shaving of parmesan cheese.
Notes:
• Shortcut Version: For a quicker weeknight pasta, reduce the roasting time for the squash to 15-20 minutes. The squash will be tender but not caramelized. The squash can also be roasted a few days ahead.
• Extra-Creamy Version: When adding the pasta water to the pan, also add 1/4-1/2 cup of cream and a cup of shredded parmesan cheese. Wait for the cheese to melt into a creamy sauce and then add the pasta.
Related: Eight Things to Do with a Butternut Squash
Originally published 10/13/2006
(Image: Emma Christensen)
Kart Serving Tray b...

Comments (27)
I made something similar to this last night, except I brushed the roasting squash with nutmeg, cinnamon, brown sugar and butter.
Wash excellent!
Beautiful! I will this this weekend after the Farmer's Market.
Beautiful! I will try this this weekend after the Farmer's Market.
mark bittman has a yummy version of this. i love it!
Has anyone else had an allergic reaction when peeling butternut squash? I cooked some last year and the skin on my hand where I handled the uncooked squash peeled off.
Thank you so much for this scrumptious dish! I made it on Friday evening and everyone eagerly filled their plates for seconds. It's definitely going in the Big Hit recipe file.
lauradot: no! my goodness. i find it slimy and occasionally itchy, but i always associate that with the starches drying on my skin.
if you don't suffer any other ill effects from the stuff, maybe wearing latex gloves will solve the problem. but perhaps you should pay attention to any other food sensitivities and bring the list to your doctor. food allergies can develop suddenly (i learned myself).
Tonight, I mean to cube up some leftover butternut squash, saute it, mix in some caramelized onions, a splash of marsala, a handful of spinach (from a local farmer), a scattering of smoked mozzarella, and serve it with some whole-wheat farfalle. I'm at odds at whether to use a white sauce, some vegetable broth, or brown butter to add a saucy component. Opinions?
i made this on monday night. i did change it in one way because i *hate* peeling squash: i cut the squash in half, removed the seeds, and roasted it for about an hour. that way, i was able to scoop out the roasted squash easily.
it was delish and made great lunch leftovers!
In answer to your question laura dot, yes, I've had the same strange reaction to butternut squash. I cut some squash last night and now the skin on my thumb and forefinger of my left hand is peeling off. Very odd. I'm eight months pregnant and therefore hope it's not a food allergy - could be bad for the baby.
Does anyone out there know anything about allergic reactions to butternut squash?
deedar14
I was hoping to find an answer to my strange skin reaction to handling butternut squash. The skin on the entire palm of my left hand (hand that held the squash as I struggled to peel & slice it) has turned tight and rough and peely. It also feels weird like tingly. Very weird. I will ask my father-in-law in the morning. He is an epidemiologist. I'll let you know what he says.
mmm, this sounds good. I had some similar flavors going--butternut & sage--going in this risotto I made:
http://cookingchat.blogspot.com/2006/11/butternut-chicken-risotto-with-fresh_15.html
To miss kitty, deedar14 and laura dot:
I just had the same thing happen to me this evening. Miss kitty's discription is exactly what happened to my hand. After washing my hands a couple of times, I slathered vitamin E cream on my hands. It's been a couple of hours now and it seems to be subsiding. Very weird. It's some kind of irritant contact dermatitis. That there are 3 people on this site to mention it makes it more common than thought but can't find any info. on it. Let me know if you find out anything. thanks
Allergic reaction also occurred with my 12 year old daughter, she said her palm felt tight and rough and dry after helping me peel and cube a butternut squash tonight. No amount of washing or moisurizer helped.
I am so glad that I am not alone in my problem with butternut squash! My thumb turned orange and tight, with odd "dents" in the skin. It only affected my one thumb -- and didn't affect my husband at all. I'll have to ask my dermatalogist.
The same allergic reaction just occurred with me while slicing a butternut squash. The best thing to do is to neutralize the squash acid, but putting a paste of baking soda and water onto your hands. It will stop the acid-peel. Funny, I'm thinking this may be a great exfoliant! :-)
Yes, I just finished cutting up butternut squash and just rinsed my hands in cool water. Then it startedfingers and palm tightening and drying and peeling. Could be good for acne wierd, huh?
I wouldn't put on latex gloves to peel the squash. People who are allergic to latex may also cross-react with squash. There is a protein in squash that is similar to that in latex and so people who are allergic to latex are encouraged to stay away from squash.
Thomas S. Potter, Ken Hashimoto (1994)
Butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata) dermatitis
Contact Dermatitis 30 (2), 123–123.
Thanks for posting about this problem, I don't feel so alone when this happens to me anymore. I'd really like the full text of the article I cited above, but my university doesn't have the full article. It maybe of some help to other sufferers.
Has anyone suffered any symptoms beyond the skin irritation?
RE: butternut squash
I am not sure what caused the reaction. I suspect it could be the acorn squash that I had eaten in a stew a week ago the roasted acorn and butternut squash seeds later that evening. I had a severe allergic reaction which resulted in massive hives all over my body and my face and eyes swelled shut. The reaction took over 24 hrs to reach its peak.
Has anyone else has a reaction to squash or the seeds?
I get small bumps on my arms after they come in contact with the leaves of summer squash and zucchini plants. It doesn't happen if I wash right away, otherwise the bumps usually go away in an hour or two. This happens when I hand pollinate the flowers.
I'd like to comment on how very excited I am to see this reposted with some amazing pictures that make it look as appetizing as it is.
Aw! Thanks, Alicelost! It's one of my favorite recipes, so I am also glad that we were able to pull it back to the top of the pile!
Thanks from me also for reposting this. I am looking at a butternut squash on my counter and I still have a huge sage plant in the garden and pine nuts in the freezer. Couldn't be more timely.
This is my 1st time on this site and I've read with interest all the comments about reactions to the squash. Has anyone thought it might not be a reaction to the squash itself but to the pesticides that linger on the squash skin? Just a thought... Also how does this dish hold? In other words, if I don't want to toss it all together at the last minute and serve it at Thanksgiving just as we're sitting down to eat, can it be made ahead and kept warm? or will it not taste or look as nice? Thx.
I live in the south of Italy and grow all my own veggies with absolutely ZERO pesticides and have problems the same problem as PeterM when gathering zucchini blossoms and the skin on the tips of my fingers peeled off after contact when preparing squash for cooking. FYI: I have absolutely no other allergies to any food, plant or other and was convinced it was just a coincidence...now I know!
Stop it already with these delicious, scrumptious pumpkin recipes. I cannot lug home one more can of pumpkin from the market. I can blame at least 5lbs. this week alone from what I have made with pumpkin...it's not exactly the pumpkin' fault, it's the whipped cream, the rum, the pasta, the glazed walnuts!