With autumn on its way we are all looking for tasty recipes to use the fall vegetable offerings. This butternut squash recipe shared by Julia Deane from Culinary Works makes a hearty dinner served with a simple salad. The pasta we are suggesting is orecchiette. It is a variety of pasta typical of Apulia, a region of southern Italy. Its name comes from its shape, which resembles a small ear. We have a wide variety of pasta to choose from along with these. Enjoy!
Orecchiette with Sausage, Broccoli Rabe and Squash
Ingredients
1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2″ dice or use pre cubed (4 cups generous)
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
2-3 Italian sausage links (casings removed), (optional)
1 bunch of broccoli rabe, tough bottom stems removed
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1lb. of pasta (orecchiette) or similar
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Cube 4 generous cups Squash- butternut, acorn, pumpkin – your choice, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast 20 mins or until softened, but not mushy. Remove from oven, set aside.
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Set up a bowl of ice water. Drop the broccoli rabe into the pot of boiling water, let cook, roughly 2 minutes, remove from the water, and immediately plunge into the ice water. Reserve the boiling water to cook the pasta in. Remove the broccoli rabe from the ice water, squeeze out excess water, and cut into large chunks. Start cooking the pasta.
In a large 12″ skillet, heat some more olive oil and brown your sausage meat, breaking it up with a potato masher, add your chopped garlic and crushed red pepper, more oil if necessary. Add the roasted squash, broccoli rabe, salt and some pasta water, let simmer until pasta is ready. Once pasta is almost cooked, add your pasta to sauté pan and combine well. Adding more pasta water until all are well combined and cooked through and the sauce sticks to the pasta.
Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with the grated Parmigiana cheese. Toss to combine and taste.