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Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash, 1 1/2 - 2 lbs., ready-cubed
- 1 tsp Brown Sugar
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 3/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 TBSP unsalted butter
- 3 TBSP Marsala
- 1/2 cup water
- 2/3 cup pine nuts
- 8 oz pappardelle or other robust pasta
- 5 oz soft blue cheese
Details
Servings 4
Preparation
Step 1
Peel, halve, and seed the butternut squash; cut into roughly 1-inch cubes.
Toss squash with 1 TB of olive oil, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt & pepper. Roast in 400 degree oven for 25 minutes or until tender and slightly browned.
Cook onion in olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan. When the onion starts to become golden, add the paprika. Stir butter and squash into onion mixture in pan. Add Marsala and water. Bring to a simmer. Keep warm until pasta is cooked.
Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to boiling; add hefty pinch of salt. Cook pasta according to package directions. Toast pine nuts in a hot, dry frying pan the stove top until golden.
Lightly season squash mixture to taste with salt (the blue cheese will add additional saltiness). Remove from heat.
Remove about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water with a ladle or mug; drain pasta. Add drained pasta to the squash mixture. Gently stir to combine. If sauce is too dry or mixture won't come together, add some of the reserved cooking water; the starch in it encourages the sauce to emulsify and cling to the pasta. Stir in most of the pine nuts and blue cheese. Transfer to a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with remaining pine nuts, and cheese.
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