$5 Butternut Squash Pasta
"Last Friday, I was digging in my fridge to decide what to make for dinner. I’m still a work in progress when it comes to meal planning, and Fridays are a free for all. I had a bag of cubed butternut squash (Trader Joe’s for $1.99) that needed to be used, so it got my wheels turning. I typically keep rice and pasta on hand at all times and on this occasion I had some pappardelle (also Trader Joe’s, and just $1.99) waiting for exactly the perfect use."
Serves2
Cooking Time25 min
Ingredients
- 8 oz pappardelle
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 12 oz butternut squash (large dice)
- ⅔ cup pecorino, grated, plus more for serving (optional)
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Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, salt & pepper (½ teaspoon each) and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft (about 15 minutes). Transfer to a plate.
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Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water; drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
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In the same large skillet you cooked the onions in, add the butternut squash and 1½ cups water to the reserved skillet, cover partially, and cook (stirring occasionally), until it is very soft and most of the water has evaporated (about 8-10 minutes.
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Toss the pasta, onion, butternut squash, pecorino, the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, and ½ cup of the reserved cooking water together (adding more cooking water as needed to loosen the sauce).