Penne with Roasted Butternut Squash

My initial intention was to make a soup with this squash, but I (or I watched a friend) make soup last week and so wanting to change things up, I found this recipe online. The ingredients call for pancetta and I never knew what I was missing out on! It was wonderful. I made this recipe for dinner and it turned out remarkably well. I actually followed the recipe this time, with only an addition of garlic to give it a little more flavor. By the time I realized I hadn't taken any pictures, there wasn't much left.

Penne with Roasted Butternut Squash

Ingredients

• 1 medium (about 2 1/4 pounds) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)-- (I used more and it worked out just fine)
  
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 tbs dried sage
  
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground pepper

• 3/4 pound penne pasta

• 2 tbs olive oil
  
• 3 ounces pancetta, sliced 1/4 inch thick and finely chopped (I could only find the pre-sliced variety so I just used a pair of scissors and cut it into 1/4 inch pieces.)
  
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced crosswise
• 1 clove minced garlic
  
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I forgot about these and it tasted fine without it.)
  
• 2 tbs dried sage leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup finely grated pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving (we could only find Parmesan so that's what I used.)
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place butternut squash on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, sage, salt, and pepper. Transfer to oven and roast until squash is browned and tender, about 15 minutes or until tender. (I did this ahead of time.)
   
2. Start to bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. As water is heating up,heat remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add pancetta and cook until just crisp, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Generously salt the pasta water and return to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, according to package directions.
   
4. Add shallots, crushed red pepper, sage, and pepper to large skillet. Cook until shallots are soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add squash and toss gently.
5. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Set pasta and reserved cooking liquid aside. Add cheese and noodles and cook, tossing gently until cheese is melted. (You can add reserved pasta cooking liquid as necessary to moisten.) Serve immediately with more grated cheese, if desired.

I roasted the butternut squash ahead of time and reheated it in the oven while the noodles cooked. Timing was just about perfect. No need to add any salt as there was enough with the pancetta and cheese. I will definitely be making this dish again! Feel free to change up the veggie to create a different taste.