This Whole Grain Pasta with Butternut Puree & Broccoli Rabe is a delicious and nutritious dish, combining roasted butternut squash and sautéed greens for a flavorful, comforting meal perfect for any weeknight.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 4 people
Ingredient | Quantity | Notes |
Butternut Squash | 2/3 | about 3 lbs |
Leeks | 2/3 | medium |
Garlic | 3 1/3 clove | |
Broccoli Rabe | 2/3 bunch | large, yields around 8 cups, chopped, or sub kale |
Olive Oil | 1/3 cup | more for cooking |
Salt | ||
Red Pepper Flakes | 2/3 pinch | |
Lemon | 2/3 | |
Whole Grain Pasta | 2/3 lb | if you are so lucky as to live nearby Baia Pasta try their spelt or kamut pastas |
PREPARATION
Roast the squash.
Preheat the oven to 450°F (232 °C). Cut the squash in half lengthwise, being mindful of your precious fingers! Scoop out the seeds. Drizzle each side lightly with olive oil and a sprinkling of salt. Place cut side down on a sheet tray and roast in the oven until soft, about an hour. Pull the squash from the oven and flip over to help cool more quickly. The roasting can be done the day before, then kept covered in the fridge until the next step. This makes for a very fast weeknight preparation.
Prep the vegetables.
Cut the leek in half and slice into thin half moons. If dirty, soak and rinse in a bowl of water. Mince the garlic. Chop the broccoli rabe into bite sized pieces.
When the butternut is cool enough to handle,
peel the skin away from the meat. Discard the skin. Place the squash into a food processor, add ¼ cup + 1 TB of olive oil and ½ teaspoon of salt and puree until smooth. Taste for seasoning.
Set a large pot of water on to boil.
Salt it well (it should taste like the ocean!). Next heat 3 TB of olive oil in a heavy bottomed skillet. When warm, add the leeks, cook, stirring regularly, 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add the broccoli rabe (this may need to be done in stages) and cook until nice and tender, about 8 minutes, stirring regularly. Add ¾ tsp salt and the pinch (or two!) of chili flake.
Cook the pasta.
Once the water is at a hard boil, add the pasta, stir and cook until just over al dente (a little chewy). Before draining, ladle out a small bowl of the cooking water, at least 4 TB. Drain the pasta, add it back to the pot and toss with 2 TB of EVO.
Combine everything.
In the large pot, add the butternut puree (start with 3 cups, increase if you want more), the broccoli rabe, zest of one lemon and 4 TB of the pasta water. Stir well to coat the pasta. If you would like it a little thinner, simply add another tablespoon or two of the water.
Serve up!
Place a few scoops of pasta into six bowls. You will probably have some pasta left over. Top with a few gratings of whichever aged cheese you have on hand (gouda, parmesan or pecorino work beautifully), a drizzle of olive oil and set on the table! I don’t even serve this with salad since there are so many veggies in the pasta. Enjoy.