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Meatless and delicious
A meatless meal can be as simple as spaghetti with tomato sauce… But it can be much more interesting than that!
I love this pasta with butternut squash and kale for its beautiful colors, earthy flavors and combination of textures. The secret to making it special is in the finishing touches. A diced fresh apple, walnuts and fresh grated Parmesan really put it over the top!
It’s a great fall and winter dish your whole family can love. It provides a good amount of protein while being loaded with vitamin A, as well as calcium and potassium.
The ingredients
To make this pasta with butternut squash and kale most nutritious, buy some good whole grain pasta. My favorite for this dish is a rye pasta such as this one: https://www.sfoglini.com/collections/shop-all/products/rye-blend-trumpets
I fell in love with Sfoglini pasta a few years ago, after asking the chef of a fancy restaurant where he bought his amazing emmer pasta (emmer is a very nutty flavored type of wheat). Sfoglini pastas are made with organic grains grown on North American farms which are milled in the US, bronze die extruded and slow dried (the good Italian way). They are made in Coxsackie, New York. It’s all quality from the field to the bowl. They are also available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/36GTUOa
Any kind of kale will work well. Curly kale is the most common. Red kale will provide a different color to your dish. Tuscan kale (aka Lacinato or Dinosaur), is thinner and has a more intense color, and like baby kale, it will cook faster, so adjust the cooking time accordingly. Make sure you wash and dry your kale thoroughly in a salad spinner, and remove the tough stems before slicing.
If you are afraid of handling a butternut squash for fear of slicing off your fingers, fear no more! It’s not that hard. All you need is a good knife and a vegetable peeler. Here’s a simple how-to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifmvEhQFZno
How to make pasta with butternut quash and kale
Start by heating some olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. In goes the cubed squash. Sauté for a few minutes until it starts to brown.
Toss in sliced garlic and sage, salt and pepper and cook another minute.
Add the kale and toss.
Once the kale starts to wilt, add 2 cups of vegetable broth, turn heat down to medium low and cook for another 8 minutes, until the squash is tender but not falling apart.
Meanwhile, bring a large amount of salted water to a boil in a pot. Add pasta and cook according to package directions for al dente
Strain and add the pasta to the squash along with 1/4 cup of pasta water. Toss well, cover and turn the heat off.
Divide the pasta among 4 serving bowls. Top each serving with apples, grated Parmesan and walnuts and serve!
For other tasty pasta dishes, check out our other recipes:
Creamy mushroom and spinach pasta
Linguini with sun-dried tomatoes, feta and olives
Pasta with butternut squash and kale
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 oz Rye pasta or whole grain pasta
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups Butternut squash cubed
- 2 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 tsp dried sage leaves
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 4 cups kale sliced thin
- 2 cups Vegetable broth
- 1 ea apple chopped
- 1/4 cup Parmesan freshly grated
- 1/4 cup walnuts roughly chopped
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add the squash and sauté for 5 minutes until lightly browned.
- Add garlic, sage, salt and pepper and sauté for another minute.
- Add the kale and toss. Once the kale starts to wilt, add 2 cups of vegetable broth, turn heat down to medium low and cook for another 8 minutes, until the squash is tender but not falling apart.
- Strain and add the pasta to the squash along with 1/4 cup of pasta water. Toss well, cover and turn the heat off.
- Divide the pasta among 4 serving bowls. Top each serving with apples, grated Parmesan and walnuts and serve.
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