This pasta is warming, comforting, and the perfect comfort food for a cold night. This pasta includes hearty butternut squash and kale for a nourishing meal that won’t make you feel bad about eating all the carbs. For a zesty twist, roasted pecans and Panko are mixed with some lemon zest and olive oil that will top the pasta.
pasta night essentials
This pasta dish is a little more involved (and interesting) than your classic spaghetti and marinara. Here’s what you’ll need to pull it off:
Pecans, Panko, and a lemon To make the nutty and zesty topping, you’ll want to roast some chopped pecans with Panko (tiny breadcrumbs). Once cooled, you’ll mix it with some lemon zest, olive oil, and a bit of salt.
Butternut squash This winter veggies is the star of the dish. Don’t be intimidated by the prospect of cutting the squash. See here for some tips. Oh, and drizzle with some oil and sprinkle with oregano before roasting.
Garlic and kale Lacinato kale sautéed in garlic is a great addition to this dish. Add a dab of butter to the sauté pan to give it a nice creaminess.
Lemon and parmesan A bit of lemon juice and parmesan will round out the delicious flavors of this dish. Add the parm when the pasta is still warm so it gets all melty and blends with the other ingredients.
Pasta! Any type of pasta will work for this recipe, but I would use a shorter pasta like the fusilli that I used. It’s easier to take bites of it with the chunky squash, and the pecan mixture tucks itself into the curly grooves of the noodles.
⟶ the recipe
pecan & butternut squash pasta
ingredients
½ cup chopped pecans
½ cup Panko crumbs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes
2 teaspoons dried oregano
6 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 large bunch of Lacinato kale, ribs and stems removed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ounce parmesan, grated
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
12 ounces pasta
Salt and pepper
Prep time
45 minutes
Cook time
15 minutes
Total time
1 hour
4 servings
instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread out pecans and Panko on a baking sheet and toast for about 8 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool slightly, and then transfer to a small bowl. Stir in the lemon zest, some olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Spread squash out on a large baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with oregano. Roast squash, tossing halfway through, until tender and browned, about 30 minutes.
Heat some olive oil in a large skillet, and add garlic. Cook until tender and fragrant, and add kale. Cook until kale begins to wilt, and add 1 cup of water. Cover the skillet and cook until kale is wilted, about 5 minutes. Uncover skillet, add butter, and stir.
Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente. Drain pasta, leaving a bit of water in the pot, and add garlicky kale mixture. Add parmesan and butternut squash, and stir until cheese is melted and the sauce coats the pasta. Add lemon juice and more water if needed. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
Divide pasta among bowls and top with the pecan and Panko mix.
⟶ modifications
- I would avoid modifying this recipe too much, but you can skip the Panko in the pecan mixture if you’re trying to limit the carb load
⟶ make it ahead
- You can mix up the pecan breadcrumbs early if you’d like and prepare the squash ahead of time
- You may have some leftover squash and pecan breadcrumbs. If that’s the case, you can eat them as leftover the next day without the pasta which is a delicious, lower-carb followup to this dish
