Penne with Butternut Squash, Kale, and Goat Cheese {12 Weeks of Winter Squash}

Pasta is tossed with roasted winter squash, earthy kale, and a creamy goat cheese sauce to make one fabulous weeknight meal!

Ugh, are we still carb loading?

Actually, no (but how obnoxious would that be?). I made a different pasta on Friday and we both almost gagged. I mean, we still managed to choke down dinner, because, you know, it was still pasta, but the leftovers…don’t judge me, but we may or may not have thrown them out. And The.Boy NEVER lets me throw food out. It was bad.

Rest in peace, spaghetti with tomatillo sauce and goat cheese. Rest in peace.

Moving on.

This was actually our pre-pre-race dinner as well as our pre-race dinner.

And it was also The.Boy’s pre-race middle-of-the-day I-can’t-go-two-hours-without-pasta snack. He really committed to the whole carb loading thing, whereas I was more like, “Butternut squash is kind of a carb, right?”. #marathonrunnerproblems

My point being, I would like to have eaten bowl after bowl of this but I live with a vulture so when something is super delicious, I never get quite as much as I’d like. And this was super delicious. Roasted kabocha+goat cheese+kale+basil. What is there not to love?

Exactly. Dinner is served.

ANNNNDDDD we are on WEEK TWO of the 12 Weeks of Winter Squash!! Thank you to all the folks who linked up and participated last week and to those you didn’t…well…you have 11 more weeks to get your act together. If you cook up and post something with winter squash in this next week link up here:

One year ago…Marbled Pumpkin Ginger Tart

Two years ago…Pink Lady Cupcakes, Gorgonzola Dolce, Fingerling Potatoes, Radicchio and Rosemary Pizza

Three years ago…Asian Noodle Salad with Cashew Dressing, Indian Spiced Chili in a Winter Squash Bowl

Four years ago…Buttercup Chili, Pumpkin Pie Bars

Penne with Butternut Squash, Kale, and Goat Cheese {12 Weeks of Winter Squash}

 

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Pasta is tossed with roasted kabocha squash, earthy kale, and a creamy goat cheese sauce.

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 kabocha squash, seeded and cut into ¾-inch cubes
• 1 onion, cut into ½-inch pieces
• 2 tbsp olive oil, for drizzling
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lb penne
• 4 oz goat cheese
• 1 bunch lacinato kale, leaves removed from stems and torn into strips
• 1 packed cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
• ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the kabocha cubes and onion evenly over the tray. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to season. Roast for 30 minutes or until fork tender. Remove from the oven and set aside.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions, stirring in the kale in the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain, reserving 2 cups of pasta water.
4. Toss the pasta and kale with the kabocha squash, onions, goat cheese, and one cup of the pasta water. Stir in the basil and parmesan cheese, adding more water if necessary to make a sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Notes

Adapted from The Food Network

Nutrition Information

Serving size: ⅙th of recipe

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