Description
Nothing defines a cozy fall dish more than herbs like thyme and sage. In this recipe, sage offers a crispy contrast to a roasted and creamy garlic and butternut squash pasta sauce. Tubular pasta like rigatoni or bucatini are sure to pick up a delicious helping of sauce in each bite.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 head garlic
- 4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1.5 cups butternut squash, cubed
- About 25 fresh sage leaves, divided
- 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme
- Red pepper flakes to taste
- 1/3 cup ricotta
- 4 cups cooked pasta, preferably rigatoni or bucatini
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
- ½ cup pasta water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Cut off the top of the garlic head and place on a foil-lined sheet. Drizzle olive oil, and salt and pepper on top of the garlic and wrap in foil.
- On a lined baking sheet, place wrapped garlic, squash, 5 sage leaves and thyme. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste on top. Roast for 20 minutes, flip butternut squash and roast for another 15-20 minutes, or until tender.
- While the squash roasts, make fried sage leaves. Coat the bottom of a skillet with extra-virgin olive oil, heat until shimmering then add sage leaves in a single layer. Allow to crisp up for about 30 seconds, then remove them with a slotted spoon or tongs. Place sage leaves on a plate lined with paper towels then place on top of pasta when ready to serve.
- While squash roasts, boil pasta and reserve ½ cup of the pasta water.
- Add ricotta and roasted ingredients to a blender. Blend until smooth. Add pasta water to get the sauce to desired texture. Add salt and pepper as needed.
- Toss the mixture from the blender with the pasta and divide it into pasta bowls. Top each bowl with 1 tablespoon of the parmesan cheese and 5 crispy sage leaves.
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