Squashy-squash

Fact: I love winter squash. My favorites are the butternut and spaghetti varieties. I thought I'd share my favorite recipes for each, so you can love them, too!

This recipe might have come from somewhere, or I might have made it up. I've been making it for a while, and I can't remember ever actually using a recipe, so I'm just writing down what I normally do here for your eating pleasure.

Roasted Butternut Squash, Red Onion, and Garlic Pasta
Ingredients:
1 butternut squash (a few pounds), peeled, seeded, chopped into 1-in. cubes
1 large red onion, chopped
several cloves garlic (I always use at least 5, but I love me some garlic, so use less if you want a less strong garlic flavor)
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup white wine
1 tbsp. dried herbs de provence
1/2 lb. pasta, shape of your choice

Directions: Preheat oven to 400. Chop the tips off the garlic cloves, but leave the peel on. Toss cloves, squash and onion with enough olive oil to coat. Spread in a single layer on a baking pan and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, or until squash is very soft.

Look at all those yummy black bits!

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta. Drain; set aside.

My favorite pot

Once the garlic is cool enough to handle, squish the roasted cloves out of their peels. Using the flat side of a knife, smooth the garlic into a paste. Set aside.

Using the same pot in which you cooked the pasta (just because it saves time doing dishes later), melt butter over medium heat. Add wine and herbs, bring to a boil and cook 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and roasted vegetables, slightly mashing squash as you stir to create a sauce. Add pasta to pan and toss to combine. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

This usually makes enough for our 2-person dinner with either seconds or leftovers for the next day's lunch. If you use a whole pound of pasta and a second onion, it would definitely feed 4 people.

YUM!