Recipe: Pasta with Butternut Squash, Sage, and Pine Nuts

Butternut squash, garlic, sage, pine nuts - these are classic groupings, especially with pasta. We've looked at pasta with butternut squash before - take a look at this Fettucini with Butternut Squash, Sage & Brown Butter and Pasta with Butternut Squash, Bitter Greens and Fresh Mozzarella. One of the reasons that butternut squash is so good with pasta is its softness and richness; it smears through like a creamy sauce.

The thing that makes this pasta a little different is the step of pan-frying all the ingredients together. This deepens all the flavors and gives the pasta that slightly crispy, browned taste that you find in Chinese pan-fried noodles. It also is a very hospitable dish; leave out the cheese and you can feed it to your vegan friends.

Overall, this makes a heavenly plate of pasta - and I can hardly take credit for it. The chef at my wedding executed it brilliantly. After the leftovers were gone my new husband was so morose, I really had to recreate it as soon as possible! Fortunately for us it wasn't too difficult and the flavors get even better in the fridge overnight.

Pasta Pan-Fried with Butternut Squash, Fried Sage, and Pine Nuts
feeds 4

1 medium butternut squash
1 small sweet onion, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup fresh sage leaves
1 pound farfalle pasta
3/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
4 ounces high quality Parmesan, shredded or shaved (about a cup total)

Heat the oven to 375°. Cut the butternut squash in half and scoop out the strings and seeds the middle cavity. Flip the squash halves upside down and peel them. (Note: The raw squash rind can irritate your hands. If they start to itch or tingle, wear gloves.) Cut the squash into 1-inch cubes. Toss with the onion, garlic, a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper. Mince about half of the fresh sage leaves and also toss with the squash.

Spread the squash mixture in a thin layer on a large baking sheet and roast for about 40 minutes or until the squash is soft.

Heat salted pasta water to boiling and cook the farfalle until al dente. Drain and set aside. As the squash finishes roasting, heat about two tablespoons of olive oil in a large high-sided sauté pan. The oil is ready when it pops and sputters. (Don't let it start smoking.) Drop in the rest of the sage leaves and fry for about a minute, or until they begin to just shrivel up.

Remove with a slotted spoon and salt lightly. Crush with the back of a spoon.

Add half the pasta to the pan, along with half the roasted squash mixture. Crumble in half the sage. Cook, stirring frequently, for five minutes or until the pasta is heated through and getting crispy on some of the edges. Add the pine nuts and cook for another minute. Stir in half the cheese and serve.

(Repeat the last step with the rest of the ingredients. We split it into two because none of our pans are big enough to accommodate the entire recipe. It's very important that you not crowd the pan too much - you want the pasta to really pan-fry, not just steam up.)

(Images: Faith Durand)

I made absorption pasta with delicata squash, toasted walnuts, fried sage and pancetta a week or two ago and I'm still thinking about. Have to get that up on my blog soon soon!

posted by katef on October 1st 2008 at 2:27pm
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I love butternut squash and your recipe looks and sounds delicious; I can't wait to try it!

posted by rosebud on October 1st 2008 at 6:19pm
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ooh delicious. we have so much sage growing, this dish could definitely be a good idea.

posted by maggie (p/c) on October 2nd 2008 at 2:55am
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i love pan frying pasta when it gets a little crunchy! so good. i cant wait to try this recipe!

posted by spanky104 on October 2nd 2008 at 6:12am
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Would 'pan frying' work in the oven? I'm thinking you could add some oil to the same baking sheet you cooked the squash in and then place a layer of the pasta mixture to it and 'fry' it in the oven. no?

posted by moon on October 2nd 2008 at 6:50am
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Is it possible to fry up half the recipe and store the other half in the fridge to fry up the following day? Or should both halves be fried up on the day of preparation (and then the 2nd half re-heated as a leftover)?

posted by joyosity on October 2nd 2008 at 7:11am
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@moon - I am not sure if this would work in the oven quite the same way. It would be delicious as a casserole bake though!

@joyosity - absolutely - in fact, that's what I did. Cooked up half for the two of us, and saved the other half for the next evening.

posted by faith on October 2nd 2008 at 7:24am
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Wonder in butternutsquash soup would work

posted by nickel525 on October 2nd 2008 at 8:18am
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i made this last night and it was delicious. my husband and i couldn't stop eating it. thanks for the recipe!

posted by jenniflyn on October 3rd 2008 at 1:18pm
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I made this yesterday too, and it's one of the most delicious things I've made in a while. Thanks so much for the recipe!

I found the pine nuts to be rather expensive, though. What could I use to substitute? Toasted chopped walnuts?

posted by joyosity on October 4th 2008 at 5:47pm
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Just made this tonight for dinner and served with sweet sausage. It was heavenly and very autumny despite the 90 degree temps in AZ. Thanks for posting this.

posted by realjen01 on October 4th 2008 at 5:55pm
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Wow, that looks so amazing. I'm definitely going to try to make this soon! Thanks for the recipe!

posted by Goosebucket on October 7th 2008 at 12:54pm
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This recipe is amazing! I made it last night and my dinner guests were absolutely pleased. I added some prawns that I broiled after roasting the squash and piled them on top. I will definitely make it again. Thank you!

posted by chowbaby on October 9th 2008 at 7:48am
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Butternut squash is a favorite of mine, so I'm always interested in new was to cook with it.
I found this recipe to be a little dry, so I deglazed the pan with wine white to create a light sauce. It was really good.

posted by Lori on October 16th 2008 at 2:16am
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Lori

I made this last night and found it to be dry as well. Deglazing with wine is a great idea!

I was thinking of making some kind of creamy, squash puree to put in....might try it for the left overs tonight.

posted by spiralcma on November 5th 2008 at 10:00am
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I finally tried this and... it is amazing! it was absolutely delicious...

if you have young kids like me, then i suggest you boil the pasta and cook the squash ahead of time (like when the kids are napping).

posted by cryniepop on December 11th 2008 at 12:17am
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I just made this and LOVED it! I used half the pasta (maybe why it didn't seem dry to me, like it did for some people) and a whole head of roasted garlic (hey, the oven was on anyways). I hate peeling butternut squash, though, so I cut it in half, roasted it, and just scooped out chunks. Whatever, I'll call it rustic.

posted by suzyblue on February 24th 2009 at 7:30pm
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Now that's what I'm talking about! YUM!

posted by ohiokavr on September 3rd 2009 at 12:55pm
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I have been to many blogs and have never felt the need to comment. Last night I made this delicous recipe and I love it! Tonight I am making it again as a side dish at my mom's house for Sunday night dinner. Thanks so much and congratulations on your marriage!

posted by kaitlin27 on October 11th 2009 at 10:46am
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Since reading this a few weeks ago I have made this multiple times...very very yummy!!!

posted by topherburk on November 4th 2009 at 5:23pm
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