Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta With Sage and Walnuts
Updated Oct. 21, 2020
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2½pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into ¾-inch pieces
- 2garlic cloves
- 5tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- ¾packed cup fresh sage leaves
- ¾cup chopped walnuts
- 1lemon, zested (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock, plus more as needed
- 1pound short pasta, such as gemelli, casarecce or penne
- ½cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
679 calories; 28 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 9 grams polyunsaturated fat; 93 grams carbohydrates; 14 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 21 grams protein; 845 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the squash and garlic on a sheet pan. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Toss well and roast until the squash is very tender, 30 to 35 minutes, tossing twice throughout. While the squash roasts, bring a large pot of water to boil.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, in a large (12-inch) skillet, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium. When the oil is hot, add the sage and cook, tossing often, until the leaves begin to crisp, about 1 minute. Add the walnuts and a generous sprinkle of salt and cook, tossing often, until the sage leaves are lightly browned and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sage and nuts to a paper towel-lined plate and wipe out the skillet. Let the mixture drain for 1 minute, then add it to a small bowl with the lemon zest; toss lightly and set aside.
- Step 3
Working in batches if necessary, transfer the roasted squash and garlic to a blender or food processor, along with 1 cup stock, and blend until smooth and thick. The consistency should be somewhere between a purée and a thick soup. Add more stock as needed, if it seems too thick.
- Step 4
Transfer the puréed squash to the reserved skillet and keep warm over very low heat. Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water, along with 1 tablespoon salt, and cook until al dente. Just before draining, ladle ½ cup pasta water into a measuring cup and set aside.
- Step 5
Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Toss to coat the pasta evenly, then, off the heat, add the ½ cup Parmesan and toss until the cheese is incorporated. Add a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water if the sauce seems too thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Step 6
Divide the pasta among shallow bowls and sprinkle the sage, walnut and lemon zest mixture on top, and serve with extra Parmesan on the side.
Private Notes
Comments
YUM! A keeper. To ease cleanup, roast squash (1.5 lb bag of frozen, tossed with oil/salt/pepper) on a foil lined baking sheet. Add garlic halfway through 25 min bake. Cook pasta, drain, set aside (reserve 1 cup pasta water). Using the pasta pot, add oil, crisp sage, remove, and then crisp walnuts. Mix with zest in small bowl. Leave excess oil in pan,add tsp of red pepper, stock, cooked squash/garlic. Puree in pot with stick blender. Dump pasta back in pot with reserved water & Parmesan cheese.
This is my VERY FIRST NYT cooking comment but I feel so strongly about this recipe that it felt right!! I noticed many people in the comments complaining about a lack of flavor in this recipe. My partner and I tripled the garlic (we love garlic, but still) and added mushrooms (leftover baby bellas and shiitake) cooked in butter and we LOVED this pasta. Super flavorful. We didn't even have enough sage - we added leftover thyme - and still thought it was great! Don't sleep on the garlic!!
I found this delicious. I could see adding some pancetta if your a meat lover, I’d bet the saltiness would cut the sweetness of the squash nicely. I like the texture of the crispy sage, but it does have a pretty bitter finish, so if that’s not your thing, maybe don’t feature it as prominently (could be chopped up to let it blend in a bit more.) Just ideas, though, I loved it as is, but I do love butternut squash as a pasta sauce in general!
This is very good. Like another person suggested, I increased the garlic to about 4 cloves, and I roasted the squash in six large chunks. My squash was smaller than the recipe called for, which was fine. The walnuts, sage, and lemon zest are critical, and delicious.
Loved it. We found it to be very flavorful, and even the toddler liked it (minus the nuts for her portion)--probably because it's so sweet. Wish I'd seen the note about lining the pan to ease clean up.
Following the proportions in the recipe makes closer to 7-8 hearty servings. I roasted a whole garlic bulb and a small onion and pureéd them with the squash (also halved, roasted, then scooped, no olive oil). It lacked oomph, even with the herbs, lemon zest, kosher salt, and toasted walnuts. Leftovers will need flavor bombs like chili flake, sharp cheese, and more lemon. If your palate goes for very mild flavors, this one's for you.
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