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Stubbornness is a virtue, my friends, and don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.

I like to call it “mental willpower” though.  Since it really is just the power to persevere in your line of thinking even when common sense and a second, third, fourth, and sometimes even fifth opinion is telling you otherwise.

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Like, for instance…last night when I absolutely insisted that my sister and I had to move my piano from my parents’ dining room in Queens to my bedroom in Manhattan even though there was not a single young, virile, able-bodied male present to aid with any of the heavy lifting.  (Brother dearest.  I’m looking at YOU.)

You see.  My keyboard and I have lived three years, twenty-two days, ten hours and five minutes in separation from each other.  With occasional weekend visits.  And when you occasionally feel like you’ve birthed the damn thing, you just love it so much, every additional second is just too much to bear.

This was not even a matter of desire anymore.  It was sheer, brutal, physical need.

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Which, come to think of it, is also how I felt about this pasta.

You see, when Buitoni sent me some of their new butternut squash agnolotti a few weeks ago to taste test and to play around with, I hemmed and hawed for days over what to pair it with.  Until finally, inspiration struck and I remembered a butternut squash dumpling with peanut sauce that I had eaten with Lauren while we were in San Francisco for the Foodbuzz Festival.

Basically. Love at first bite.

And that was that.  From there on out, it was peanut sauce or bust.  Nothing was going to get in my way.

Until, of course, it came time to actually make the dish that I had dreamt about every night since my peanut sauce epiphany.  I pulled out the containers of ravioli from the fridge.  Read the fine print.  And realized that the butternut squash filling also contained parmesan cheese and little bits of amaretti cookies.  Delicious in theory, obviously, but when paired with a Thai flavor profile?  I had my doubts.

Enter the little peanut butter loving brat inside my head who wanted peanut sauce and wanted it NOW. I had no choice but to push on or risk a raging headache/mental breakdown combo.  And I am so glad I did.  Because though the two sets of flavors shouldn’t work together AT.ALL.  Somehow…they do.  In a most awesomely addictive way.  In case you don’t believe me (or think that I just have weirdo taste buds), you can ask The.Boy. who has a totally all-American normal palate and happened to love this.  (And who, also, speaking of which is spending the next three days taking the bar exam, so can we all wish him LOTS OF LUCK BABY. K thanks.)

Or…you can try it for yourself! Buitoni has given me TEN VOUCHERS for their refrigerated pasta and sauce to give away!  I will choose two winners each of whom will receive five vouchers.  All you have to do to enter is to leave a comment telling me what kind of sauce you would have paired with this pasta.  A winner will be chosen on Friday!

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Butternut Squash Agnolotti with Thai Peanut Sauce
Serves 4, an Eats Well With Others Original

Ingredients

  • 2 packages Buitoni butternut squash agnolotti
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 inch piece of raw ginger, minced
  • 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1 medium eggplant, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 (14 oz) can lite coconut milk
  • 1 tbsp thai red curry paste
  • 3 tbsp peanut butter
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
  2. While water is boiling, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic and ginger and saute, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add the pepper and eggplant to the pan.  Stir fry until tender, about 15-20 minutes.
  3. In a medium bowl, stir together the coconut milk, red curry paste, peanut butter and brown sugar.  Pour into the pan with the veggies and cook until heated through.  Add salt and black pepper to taste.
  4. Cook the agnolotti in the boiling water until tender.  Drain and mix in with the veggies and peanut sauce.  

I am submitting this to Presto Pasta Nights which is being hosted this week by Ruth of Once Upon A Feast.

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You are reading this post on Eats Well With Others at https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of Eats Well With Others. All rights reserved by Joanne Bruno.
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106 Responses to Butternut Squash Agnolotti with Thai Peanut Sauce…and a GIVEAWAY!

  1. Ooooh, what a great giveaway! I think I would make a sage brown butter sauce to go with the butternut squash pasta!

  2. Um, those dumplings were heaven! Love that you mimicked those flavors here!

    My sister took my parent’s keyboard for her apartment, a little easier move than the piano:-)

  3. Looks so good with the peanut sauce! My first thought was a brown butter sauce, but then again I’d like a sauce with maple syrup in it.

  4. Kat says:

    I love peanut sauce, and your version looks awesome! I think that pasta would be great with some kind of take on a traditional pesto, maybe made with walnuts and spinach… with lots of cheese of course!

  5. Debbie says:

    I think I would enjoy this with a little olive oil and chopped tomatoes!

  6. Michele says:

    I think I’d keep it simple with tomato and basil!

  7. maria says:

    i recently blacked out in whole foods and wound up with a pound of pumpkin seeds…so yeah, I’d make a pepita pesto to drizzle on top. tastes like fall…in july!

  8. Christina says:

    What about a creamy vodka sauce?

  9. Danielle says:

    I love Thai Peanut Sauce – Im with you – I think it would go with anything!

  10. SallyBR says:

    I have a recipe for asparagus pesto on my files to try for over 2 years! I think I’d use that for this pasta, could work well, I suppose.

    Brown butter and sage would be a classic though!

    Thanks for having such a tasty giveaway….

  11. MarthaT says:

    This pasta sounds amazing and I love peanut sauce, so I would make it just like you did!

  12. Brown butter and sage for sure.

  13. You realize you hit all my love buttons with one recipe? I love butternut squash and peanut butter. Would never of dreamed up putting them together. I need to make this and now!!! Oh my gosh!!

    If I can’t use your sauce I would make a butter and sage sauce for the butternut squash agnolotti.

  14. I’d pair it with a Butter and Brown Sugar sauce, or a Maple one.

  15. Samantha says:

    Yum! I would love to try these with a nutmeg-loaded white sauce…with spinach and sage!

  16. Cara says:

    I didn’t know you played the piano – so does Ben!

    What an awesome idea to put a Thai twist on butternut squash ravs – but then again I think you and I know that there’s almost nothing that doesn’t compliment the golden orange stuff 🙂 When I’ve made butternut ravs, I’ve mimicked a favorite dish from a local restaurant – spiced rum cream sauce, gorgonzola, dried cranberries, walnuts and asparagus. It’s seriously like dessert for dinner. Actually, come to think of it, you could probably whip up a dark chocolate hazelnut sauce for this pasta and be in total heaven!

  17. kim says:

    i would pair it with pesto!

  18. Amy says:

    Stubbornness, I got. Patience, I don’t. And wait…what? You play the piano? How awesome. You are just a gal of many many talent Ms. Joanne.

  19. daphne says:

    oooo.. that looks sooo good to me. Pumpkin pasta and thai curry- spicy and creamy.. sounds so good to me!

  20. Stephanie says:

    This looks great! Before seeing this, I probably would have gone with a pesto sauce.

  21. Ilene Egyud says:

    The sauce you used sounds perfect to me.

  22. JoAnn says:

    I would have gone sage butter, but this Asian twist looks nice! 🙂

  23. Margarita says:

    I like your Thai twist on this pasta… Maybe I would do a garlic cream sauce with this one with some fresh sage.

  24. deb m says:

    Maple cream sause.

  25. Tina says:

    Very imaginative….the peanut butter is an excellent choice. I think I would be the old fart, bland blogger here and make a butter garlicy sauce 🙂

  26. Kari says:

    I would have used a light tomato sauce with fresh spinach. Yours looks great, I never would have thought of a Thai sauce.

  27. Dannielle says:

    This sounds yummy! On my own, I probably would have paired the ravioli with a creamy sage pesto that I had paired once with pumpkin ravioli and still dream about.

  28. I would use brown butter and sage, or make a nutmeg & cinnamon cream sauce.
    Also, good luck to The Boy!!!

  29. Stephanie says:

    You can’t go wrong with a great red, tomato-based sauce! But after seeing/reading about the sauce you made, I might have to give peanut sauce a shot!

  30. Erin says:

    I bet a butter sage sauce would be great with this pasta

  31. Jen says:

    I would have paired it with a creamy goat cheese and basil sauce. Your peanut sauce sounds delicious too!

  32. Ashley says:

    I love peanut sauce! I would have never thought of pairing it with a stuffed pasta. Yummm!! I probably would have defaulted to a sage brown butter sauce but this sounds awesome 🙂

  33. Put peanut sauce on anything and I will want to eat it. Especially with curry. Yum- so into it.

  34. Nicole says:

    Caramelized onion sauce!

  35. newmenewlife says:

    Well, I’m one of those weird people who love mushrooms with butternut squash, so either a creamy mushroom sause or a sage and brown butter.

  36. emily says:

    i will definitely toss the pasta with a brown butter and sage sauce and then sprinkle some toasted walnuts!

  37. love2dine says:

    Thanks for the recipe, it looks delish!!

  38. I do love peanut sauce….but would have been hesitant to pair the two prior to reading your article…it would have been a mushroom wine sauce probably…..but now I can be convinced to pair it with peanut sauce.

  39. Oh this sauce looks wonderful but I would also like it tossed with olive oil and tomatoes!

  40. Some might call me stubborn as well! This looks SO good!

  41. Cassie says:

    I would have probably paired this with a cream or butter sauce, but I am going to have to try it with this sauce. It looks great.

  42. I cannot wait for fall to eat lots of meals just like this one! I’d probably create a Greek yogurt-based sauce for these ravioli.

  43. Shannon says:

    peanut sauce sounds like such a perfect match!! i probably would’ve done a sage-browned butter, but now you have me second-guessing myself 🙂

  44. Juli says:

    I think of butternut squash and think of fall (and immediately brown butter and sage like so many have said) but how about an apple cream sauce (also very autumnal).

  45. Jenna says:

    I would have probably put some kind of sage/butter kinda sauce on here–nothing revolutionary, but always tasty. And good luck to The.Boy on his exams!!!

  46. Saguna says:

    I know how you feel- lugging a keyboard around gives a girl an appetite. Especially upright pianos that are beautiful but HUGE and feel like solid iron boxes.

    Wow, impressed with the peanut butter, amaretti and butternut squash combo. Sounds like desert but with tasty veggies. I would have tried the agnolotti with some ground almond bechamel sauce and asparagus or artichoke hearts if I could get a hold of ’em!

  47. Sara says:

    Wow, what a creative recipe – love the idea of pairing ravioli with a Thai sauce, so cool! Bet it was amazing. I probably would have just used tomato sauce, but that definitely means I need to get more creative in the kitchen! 😉

  48. tigerfish says:

    I’ll go with a rich tomato sauce for this. Yeah, I know…boring but a rich tomato-based sauce is my favorite!

  49. My first instinct would be to put them in a brown butter sauce, but the peanut sauce sounds a lot more interesting (and healthy too)!

  50. I want to drink that sauce. OH MY GOD! I love peanut sauce so, so, much.

  51. Elizabeth says:

    Oof, I’d have Thai peanut sauce on anything

  52. Dining Alone says:

    Good luck to the Boy!! I would definitely go simple and just do olive oil and garlic, I’d want to taste all that is going on in the filling.

  53. Jen says:

    Mmm, peanut sauce sounds lovely, but how about a browned butter with cardamom and black pepper?

  54. Roz says:

    You really are a genius Joanne! The combo of Italian with Thai is irresistible! My two favorite cuisines combined in one delectable dish!

    So glad that you can reunite with your ivory keys!

    Sorry for my absence, had lumbar fusion last week and just getting caught up with my blog reads while on the mend! Praising God for the gift of medicine and the quality of health care that we have here in the States. Thinking of you and your promising medical career future.

    Roz

  55. Jenn Kendall says:

    oh wow, i’m so intrigued by this! i totally want to try! i’d also love to try that agnolotti with a brown butter and sage sauce with pancetta and toasted hazlenuts

  56. If you moved the keyboard, there better be lots if music in your apartment. I hope it doesn’t cut into your cooking time… although one can never have too many quick an easy recipes like this. Looks great, Joanne!

  57. Elana says:

    Ooh I’d love to try this! I think I’d probably try it with the garlic scape pesto I just made 🙂

  58. OohLookBel says:

    I’ve often wondered why no one pairs peanut sauce with pasta, they’d go so well together, as you’ve demonstrated. Nice!

  59. Your sauce looks great, but I’d probably pick a gorgonzola sauce. Yum!

  60. Juliana says:

    Joanne, what a nice twist adding Thai peanut sauce in this pasta dish…looks delicious and full of flavor. Awesome!
    Have a great week ahead 🙂

  61. Anonymous says:

    i was going to say tomato and parm but then saw that someone else had said browned butter and sage and now i’m thinking along those lines w/ perhaps some toasted walnuts added in.

    fruitcrmble AT comcast DOT net

  62. exotic pasta! creamy and yummy!

  63. Blond Duck says:

    Good luck to the boy! I may try your thai sauce for mañana night!

  64. Oh yum – I love Thai peanut sauce on everything 🙂

  65. That Girl says:

    It’s not stubbornness, it’s perseverance!

  66. Julie says:

    This looks delicious!! I’d love to win the vouchers, I love their pastas. I think sage brown butter and the sage in my garden would be perfect for it.

    GOOD LUCK TO THE BOY!!!!!!!!

  67. Kari says:

    Best not pick me for this as I sense the pasta would not improve after international air travel – but I so relate to those determined (possibly slighly manic) “I must make it this way because that’s what my imagination decided”. I’m glad yours worked out!

  68. Reeni says:

    I love the way you think – I’m all over the peanut sauce lately! This is so unique! I never had butternut ravioli before. I’ve been deprived. I would probably go with a fatty, creamy alfredo type sauce.

  69. Sarah says:

    mmm, i think i would try my pumpkin alfredo sauce. i want fall and i want it NOW! 🙂

  70. Kristin says:

    I’ve never had butternut squash so I have no idea what it tastes like…but maybe a lemon garlic white sauce would be nice?

  71. i have never had squash with this peanut flavor on it before but it is an amazing idea and i love it! What a great giveaway- your making me wish hit was fall

  72. Jen D. says:

    I would go with a simple basil pesto sauce

  73. Pam says:

    Loving the flavors in this one Joanne! I would probably use browned butter with the ravioli because it’s simple and because it’s butter… need I say more?

    Good luck to The.Boy. on his exams!

  74. kankana says:

    Love Thai food flavor. So tangy and refreshing! This is different and I never really tried thai peanut sauce. Sounds interesting!

  75. I would never have thought to put a Thai Peanut Sauce with this, but I am SO glad you did! This is such a delicious looking dish, and I can just imagine how wonderful it tastes!

  76. Hotly Spiced says:

    You moved a piano? I can’t believe it. I would have called half a dozen burly removalists and stood on the sidelines shouting instructions. And just where was your brother? Thank goodness for this lovely pasta with a Thai peanut sauce. What great flavours xx

  77. Wow, what an interesting combo Joanne! Good Luck on the bar to The Boy!

  78. Guru Uru says:

    What a beautiful combo my friend – thai, italian or a mix? 😀

    Cheers
    CCU

  79. i have been wanting to try a new recipe for a peanut sauce.

  80. Lynn says:

    Hmmm – I’m thinking peanut sauce would go well with that pasta. Looks yummy to me.

  81. Sam says:

    I love butternut squash anything. But we peanut sauce? Genius.

  82. I’d serve it with an anise cream sauce!

  83. Katerina says:

    This is a beautiful pasta dish Joanne! The combination of flavors is daring as you always try it to be!

  84. Tanya says:

    I’d probably make a sauce from butter, cream, brown sugar and a mix of spices (think cardamom, rosemary) and a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds on top. Yum!

  85. Samantha says:

    I’d probably do a red bell pepper pesto to keep it light and sweet!

  86. momgateway says:

    I think garlic with olive oil, butter and parsley will make an awesome sauce.

  87. sandra says:

    I bought some sage the other day without a clue as to how to use it. In my mind I was thinking about the caramelized sage I read about in A Gate at the Stairs, by Lorrie Moore. When I started investigating what to pair said sage with I came across many recipes involving butternut squash. Apparently these two things are meant for each other… and who am I to argue? I would make a caramelized sage & walnut sauce.

  88. sandra says:

    … But I love the Thai peanut sauce variation. I will have to try it.

  89. Anonymous says:

    The peanut sauce looks great. I like the addition of the eggplant and red pepper, a bunch of torn fresh basil tossed in at the end would add some pretty color!

  90. Charlotte says:

    I was thinking carmelized onions and artichoke pesto but given my current obsession with peanut sauce, maybe I’ll give yours a go – sounds delicious.

  91. grace says:

    peanut butter–it’s not just for jelly sandwiches anymore. 🙂

  92. Beth says:

    This looks heavenly. Now I have to have it too!

  93. Johanna GGG says:

    Pumpkin and peanut butter are such a great combination that I would love to try this – I quite prefer eating this to lugging a piano about – hope you are making sweet music at home now (and that the boy does good with his exams)

  94. Victoria says:

    First of all, this is so obviously brilliant. Thai peanut sauce? You’re crazy in the best possible way. I love you for this reason and so many others. I’d love to try this pasta with your sauce, but a classic brown butter sauce with fresh thyme and/or rosemary is a great standby. I think pesto would be nice too.

  95. meredith m says:

    I would think a nice cream sauce – plus I’d add some peas 🙂

  96. I would use a simple chive cream sauce paired with summer squash and green beans. Oh, yum.

  97. Jessica B. says:

    I made this for dinner last night and it was wonderful! I did not have Butoni pasta on hand, however. I used the Trader Joe’s version I had in the fridge. I can imagine using the sauce on either chicken or fish as well. Loved it! Thanks for sharing!

  98. Chris says:

    Missed the deadline:(

    But you have just inspired me. I LOVE thai peanut sauces but have never put red curry paste (another love) in mine. Now I’m going to have my two loves together in a menage au trois!

  99. meigancam01 says:

    Hi, many, many thanks for taking the time to share.. It was useful for my team. Thanks for all of your hard work! I enjoy your weblog and will sign up to your feed so I will not miss anything. Fantastic content.

  100. Anonymous says:

    A sage and brown butter sauce with toasted pumpkin seeds

  101. Nicole says:

    wow, wow, wow and wow – that looks amazing!

  102. […] year ago…Butternut Squash Agnolotti with Thai Peanut Sauce, Zucchini, Edamame and Buffalo Mozzarella Pasta […]

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