I could say I feel bad about how many squash recipes I have posted over the last several months, but that would be a lie. I don’t feel bad. Squash is delicious! With that proclamation, I give you another recipe with squash in it. Once again, the February issue of Bon Appetit is pulling through big time, this is now the third delicious recipe I have made from it! Perhaps I should become a recipe tester for them?
Anyways, back to the recipe. After looking through the magazine, this one caught my eye, so I made a mental note to try it out. When I ended up with leftover butternut squash puree in my fridge a few days later, I knew this would be the perfect opportunity to use it!
Butternut squash made a really great base for the pasta sauce, giving it lots of flavour and creaminess, without the heavy richness you would get from a sauce like Alfredo. The saltiness of the pancetta and pecorino was a great compliment to the slight sweetness of the butternut squash.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 oz.pancetta (chopped)
- 1 tbsp finely sage (chopped)
- 3 cups butternut squash (chopped)
- 1 small onion (chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
- Salt & pepper
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 12 oz. fettuccine pasta
- ¼ cup finely grated pecorino, plus more for serving.
- Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Once heated added chopped pancetta, cooking until crisp (about 8-10 minutes). Toss with sage, before removing to a small bowl.
- Add squash, onion, and garlic to pan, season with salt & pepper. Cook about 8-10 minutes, until onions begin to turn translucent.
- Add chicken broth, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Simmer about 15-20 minutes, until liquid is reduced by half.
- Once cooled slightly, puree in a blender, or with immersion blender, add more salt & pepper if necessary.
- In a large pot, cook fettucine until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water.
- In your pan, combine pasta, squash puree, and a ¼ cup of pasta water. Cook over medium heat, adding more pasta water as necessary, until pasta becomes coated with sauce, about 2 minutes.
- Mix in ¼ cup of pecorino, and season as necessary.
- Serve pasta with pancetta and sage, along with freshly shaved pecorino.
Thanks for sticking with me through this difficult journey as I battle my squash addiction ;).
Bob
