Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta with Kale

4.67 from 6 votes

Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta with Kale

My Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta with Kale is a hearty pasta dish featuring colorful fall vegetables. This tasty dish is packed with flavor and nutrition!

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Total Time35

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 423kcal

Author: Dr. Sonali Ruder

Equipment

Ingredients

12 ounces penne pasta
5 cups (24 ounces) diced butternut squash
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided use
¼ teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided use
2 ounces pancetta, diced (can substitute bacon)
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch (8 ounces) Tuscan kale, chopped
½ cup (1.5 ounces) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Garnishes:

olive oil, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Cook the pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 ½ cups cooking liquid before draining. Set aside.
Toss the squash, thyme ¼ teaspoon of the salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon olive oil together on a baking sheet. Spread the squash out in single layer. Roast in oven 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown and tender. Remove from oven. Alternatively, you can also roast the butternut squash in an air fryer at 375°F for 12-14 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add pancetta. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until crispy, stirring occasionally. Add red pepper flakes and garlic; cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add kale; season with remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook until wilted, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the cooked pasta to the skillet along with the ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and 1 cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss to combine all ingredients well. Add more of the reserved pasta water as needed to form a sauce that coats the pasta. Gently stir in the butternut squash.
Transfer to serving bowl and sprinkle the toasted pine nuts on top. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and some more grated cheese.

Notes

Because the sauce is simply made with just olive oil, cheese, and pasta water, you want to use a good-quality Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and grate it yourself rather than using pre-grated cheese from a container.
To save time, the butternut squash can be roasted up to 3 days in advance and stored in the fridge until you're ready to make the rest of the dish.
When you drain the pasta, be sure to reserve some of the starchy pasta water. You will use this to create the sauce for this dish.

Nutrition