Nothing says fall to me like winter squash. This past weekend, we had the first cool day of fall. Even though the temperature is back up here today in central Florida, the humidity doesn’t seem nearly as bad. This pasta dish made the perfect comfort food for a cool day. The sage and Gruyère cheese was a perfect compliment to the roasted butternut squash.
In other news, my son has accidentally broke my favorite camera lens, my 50mm. I ordered a replacement for my fav lens yesterday, but until it arrives, I went out today and rented a 100mm, and am already falling in love with it. I’m going to our local Food and Wine festival with it, and hopefully I’ll be able to visit a state park to get some nature and insect pictures. I have a feeling this this lens will be on my wish list for the holidays.
Yield: Serves 4
1 medium, or 1 pound butternut squash
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, diced
olive oil
kosher salt
2 cups milk or cream
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup Gruyère cheese, grated
1 pound rigatoni pasta
1 cup fresh sage, chopped
2 tablespoons freshly chopped flat leaf parsley
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut butternut squash in half and remove seeds and stringy parts. Reserve seeds for roasting if desired. Drizzle halves with olive oil and sprinkle with a little kosher salt. Place cut side down on a cookie sheet and roast at 350 degrees until very fork tender, about 1 hour.
2. Once squash is done, cook pasta according to package directions and drain well. Preheat large skillet. Drizzle with olive oil. Add onion and garlic. Saute over medium heat until translucent. Scoop roasted squash away from the skin and add to skillet. Add butter and milk. Heat through. Remove from heat and add sage, parsley and cheese. Mix until cheese has melted. Serve with crusty bread.
