Butternut squash is a fantastic and versatile fall vegetable. Pairing it with miso and gently sautéed onions and garlic creates a deliciously complex savory and sweet sauce that coats and fills Sfoglini’s Zucca perfectly.
MAKES FOUR - SIX SERVINGS
For topping
For the sauce
DIRECTIONS
Prepare the topping by heating 1/3 cup oil or butter in a skillet over medium low. Add the sage leaves and fry gently for 2 minutes each side, or just until crisp. Remove the leaves from the pan and chop or crumble them into tiny pieces. Raise the heat of the pan to medium and add the panko, stirring to coat completely in the oil or butter. Cook, stirring constantly, until the crumbs are golden brown. Combine with the sage and red pepper flakes. Once the breadcrumbs have cooled, stir the crumbled bacon and cheese.
To roast the butternut squash, heat the oven to 420° F and toss the squash chunks with 1/4 cup of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast on a sheet pan for 20 minutes, or until they can be easily pierced with a fork. If you’d like to brown the squash a little, broil them for just a few minutes, check frequently to make sure they don’t blacken. Set aside to cool slightly.
While the squash roasts, heat the butter, bacon fat, or oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and dried sage, lower the heat slightly, and sauté gently until the onion is softened and a little translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute more.
Add the roasted squash, onion/garlic mixture, miso, and red pepper flakes to a food processor or blender. Add two cups of the chicken stock and process until the mixture is nearly smooth. It should have the consistency of butternut squash soup. Add a little more stock if necessary. Return the mixture to the skillet and turn the heat to low.
Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil and add the pasta. While the pasta cooks, stir the sauce occasionally. When the pasta is a few minutes from al dente, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and set aside.
Raise the heat on the skillet of sauce to medium. Once the pasta is almost to al dente, transfer it using a slotted spoon, directly from the water to the sauce. Stir gently to combine and let it come to a simmer, stirring regularly so the sauce doesn’t stick to the pan. Add in the reserved pasta water a few tablespoons at a time to adjust the sauce consistency as needed while the pasta finishes cooking.
Once the sauce has thickened and the pasta is al dente, serve topped with the bacon breadcrumb mixture.
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Chef's Note:
Vegetable broth can be substituted for the chicken broth and the crumbled bacon omitted from the topping for a vegetarian dish.
If you cooked the bacon specifically for this recipe, set aside some of the bacon grease to use for sauteing the onion and garlic. It’ll add a little smoky, savory complexity to the finished dish. Because the miso is quite salty itself, no additional salt is needed for the sauce. Make sure to taste the sauce AFTER adding the pasta and pasta water to see how it’ll taste when served.
Pasta Swaps: This recipe would also work well with Sfoglini Radiators, Vesuvio, or Bigoli.
