Tagliatelle with Brown Butter and Butternut Squash
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
As the air gets crisper, dinners get heartier. Cook up this pasta and butternut squash dish for a taste of Fall.
Ingredients
- 1 batch homemade tagliatelle, or about 1 lb (450 g) of any dried or fresh pasta
- 1 small-medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 3-4 medium-large shallots, peeled and quartered
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream
- 1 tbsp minced sage
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- salt and pepper to taste
- crumbled Gorgonzola and chopped parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss the cubed squash and shallots with the olive oil, season generously with salt and pepper, and spread evenly on a silpat lined baking sheet. Roast on the middle rack for 45 minutes to 1 hour, flipping the squash a few times, until browned and starting to caramelize.
- Transfer 1/2 of the squash and all of the shallots to a food processor, (set the remaining squash cubes aside) along with the heavy cream and pulse until you have a smooth paste. If needed, add additional hot water and process until sauce has thinned enough to be able to coat the pasta. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the fresh pasta for 4-5 minutes, or until just al dente.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter and cook for a few minutes until just starting to brown. Add the sage and fry for about a minute, stirring, until butter has turned a amber brown, and sage is fragrant. Reduce heat to medium-low and whisk in the squash puree to combine with the browned butter.
- When the pasta is cooked, transfer directly from water to the skillet with the squash sauce and toss to combine. If sauce seems very thick or clumpy, add pasta water by the 1/4 cupfuls until sauce has evenly coated the pasta. Toss in the reserved cubed butternut squash, transfer to individual serving bowls and top with a generous amount of crumbled Gorgonzola cheese and fresh parsley.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 560
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the recipe only blend half the roasted squash into the sauce?
The instructions say to transfer half the squash and all of the shallots to the food processor for the smooth sauce, while reserving the remaining cubes to toss in whole at the end. This gives the finished dish two textures: a silky sauce that coats the tagliatelle and distinct caramelized chunks of squash throughout.
What does the pasta water do in this recipe?
Once the squash purée is whisked into the browned butter, the sauce can be very thick. The instructions say to add hot pasta water in 1/4-cup additions until the sauce is loose enough to coat the tagliatelle evenly — the starchy water both thins the sauce and helps it cling to the noodles.
