Butternut Squash Pasta with Herbs & Goat Cheese
I recently had the opportunity to create a recipe in partnership with Home Chef for The Everygirl, and Home Chef then transformed my recipe into one of their boxed meal kits. So fun! I used in-season butternut squash as my inspiration for a pasta coated with creamy goat cheese and seasoned with savory fresh herbs. In celebration of The Everygirl for Home Chef box arriving in hungry homes this week, I thought I’d share the recipe with you here!
While I personally love to cook, after giving the Home Chef process a try, I totally get the allure. Especially as busy working parents, planning meals ahead, getting to the grocery store, and preparing ingredients takes time, which we have a lot less of these days! It was fun to follow the step-by-step instructions using pre-measured ingredients to get dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes. You can read more about Home Chef’s delivery service (restaurant-quality meals delivered to your door) in the original post here.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH PASTA WITH HERBS & GOAT CHEESE
INGREDIENTS
8 oz. whole wheat penne
8 sage leaves
1/2 red onion
2 garlic cloves
3 cups cubed butternut squash
4 oz. goat cheese
2 sprigs of basil
3 sprigs of thyme
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prepare a baking sheet with foil.
2. Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Finely chop the sage and basil and remove the thyme leaves from their stems.
3. In a mixing bowl, toss the squash cubes with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Arrange squash on the baking sheet and roast until browned and fork tender, about 20 minutes.
4. Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and then saute the onion and garlic until soft and golden.
5. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and reserve one cup of the pasta cooking water.
6. Mix the cooked pasta and goat cheese in a large serving bowl, tossing until the cheese melts into a creamy sauce that coats the penne. Add reserved pasta water as necessary to thin the sauce. Add in the roasted squash and cooked onion and garlic. Fold in the fresh herbs and season with extra salt and pepper to taste.