Penne Pasta with Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese

I was watching the cooking channel one day and saw the episode where Giada De Laurentiis made this. It looked SO good, but I knew my husband and kids would never eat it. So tonight, I had a girlfriend over for dinner and decided to give it a try on her. If you want to go to Giada's link click HERE. I like the video on her site. I pretty much just copied and pasted the recipe and ingredients down below.

We really liked it. I love nutty flavors so this was perfect for me. I love goat cheese and I love butternut squash. My friend liked it a lot too, but thought it needed more salt (or garlic salt). (I didn't add more salt like the recipe called for at the end, I had only added it to the squash. So next time I will add more at the end too.) We also both thought it would be good to add shredded rotisserie chicken to this to make it a well balanced meal:)

If you don't know how to peel and dice a butternut squash, you can go to THIS site and watch the short video. I've never peeled one before even though I've made butternut squash many times before!

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 (2-pound) butternut or kombucha squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 onion, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
Olive oil, for drizzling
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound penne pasta
1 cup (8 ounces) goat cheese, crumbled
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted (see Cook's Note)
1 packed cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan
*Adding this after making it a second time- 1tsp garlic salt. Definitely adds more flavor!


Directions
Put an oven rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Spray a baking sheet, liberally, with vegetable oil cooking spray. Set aside.

Mix the squash and onion together and arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bake for to 40 to 45 minutes until the vegetables are golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.

While the squash mixture is cooling, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 2 cups of the pasta water. Put the pasta, goat cheese and 1 cup of pasta water in a large serving bowl. Toss until the cheese has melted and forms a creamy sauce. Add the squash and onion mixture, the walnuts and the basil. Toss well and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with Parmesan and serve.

Cook's Note:
To toast the walnuts, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven until lightly toasted, about 6 to 8 minutes Cool completely before using.

Enjoy!!

peel

dice

put on baking sheet with diced onion and roast with olive oil and seasonings

place goat cheese at bottom of serving bowl. Place hot pasta on top along with one cup of the pasta water.

add the butternut squash and onion

add chopped, toasted walnuts and chopped fresh basil

Mix well, add grated parm cheese, salt and pepper.

So creamy and good!