Recipe: Orecchiette with Butternut Squash and Sage

A nice, multi-textured hit of fall flavor that's a breeze to pull off, from "Martha Stewart's Newlywed Kitchen: Recipes for Weeknight Dinners & Easy, Casual Gathers" by the Editors of Martha Stewart Living.

"The only time-consuming part is prepping the squash," they write. "We love the unexpected mix of ingredients: The dish brings together tender pasta, creamy ricotta (instead of the usual brown butter), and fried sage leaves, a combination inspired by a pumpkin ravioli dish one of our food editors had in Siena, Italy."

       
Orecchiette with Butternut Squash and Sage
Serves 2

Ingredients:

Coarse salt
6 ounces orecchiette
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
½ small butternut squash, halved and peeled, seeds and pulp scooped and reserved, flesh cut into ½-inch cubes (2 cups)
1½ tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons packed fresh sage leaves
⅔ cup whole-milk ricotta cheese, for serving

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve ½ cup pasta water; drain.

Clarkson Potter

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large straight-sided skillet over medium. Add squash seeds and pulp. Cook, stirring occasionally, until seeds puff and turn golden, about 10 minutes. Season with salt; transfer to a plate. Add 1 tablespoon butter to skillet; melt. Add sage and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to another plate. Add squash cubes to skillet. Season with salt, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes.

3. Stir in pasta, ¼ cup reserved pasta water, and remaining ½ tablespoon butter. Simmer until thickened slightly, about 2 minutes. Add more pasta water, a few tablespoons at a time, until pasta is evenly coated; season with salt. Divide among bowls and top with squash seeds, sage leaves, and ricotta. Drizzle with oil and serve.

   
Reprinted from "Martha Stewart's Newlywed Kitchen: Recipes for Weeknight Dinners & Easy, Casual Gathers" by the Editors of Martha Stewart Living. Copyright © 2017 by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Photographs by Stephen Kent Johnson. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.

       
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For more food suggestions check out our 2017 "Food Issue" recipe index!

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