[Foodie Friday Recipe] Butternut Squash & Pancetta Pasta

Rose S. | October 5, 2018 | Real Food Recipes

Celebrate the fall cooking season with this easy and delicious butternut squash, pancetta, and pasta recipe…

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but autumn is my absolute favorite season for cooking! Hearty, warm, and comforting soups and stews, rich broths and filling casseroles, and the delicious, sweet and savory flavors of fall fruits and vegetables all make this a wonderful time of year to spend some time in the kitchen. The recipe below combines the nutty sweet flavor of butternut squash with rich, salty pancetta for a tasty (and easy!) treat for your tastebuds.

This simple butternut squash and pasta recipe will let you have dinner on the table in under an hour – impressive for something that tastes like an expensive gourmet meal!

This Jamie Oliver classic serves 4 but can easily be adjusted as needed to serve more or fewer eaters.

Butternut Squash & Pancetta Pasta

Serves: 4
Time: 40 min.

Ingredients:

60 g higher-welfare slices of pancetta
3 banana shallots, peeled
½ a fresh red chili
650 g butternut squash, peeled and deseeded
extra virgin olive oil
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves picked
600 ml hot organic vegetable stock
400 g penne
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
10 g Parmesan cheese, plus extra to serve

Instructions:

Start by preparing your ingredients. Finely slice the pancetta, shallots, and chili, then chop the squash into 1cm cubes. Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat, add the pancetta and fry for 1 minute, then stir in the shallots, chili and rosemary leaves. Cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes, then stir in the squash and pour in the hot stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes, or until the squash is tender and the liquid has reduced slightly.
Meanwhile, cook the penne in a large pan of boiling salted water until very al dente – it’ll continue cooking in the sauce so it’s important to undercook it. Reserving some of the cooking water, drain the penne and add to the sauce. Stir gently, adding a splash of the cooking water to loosen, if needed, then cook for a further 2 minutes to let the penne soak up all those beautiful flavors. Finely grate in the Parmesan and stir until deliciously creamy. Serve with a twist of pepper and an extra grating of Parmesan.