creamy butternut squash papperdelle

Thanksgiving has come and gone and I am always looking for interesting ways to enhance leftover food.  Most years, I usually have turkey leftovers but this year it was my squash casserole.  Recently, I was at an Italian market and purchased a package of pappardelle rigate.  This pasta was begging to be used! 🙂  The other day as luck/inspiration would have it, I saw an Instagram story of squash purée being blended with spaghetti. Sadly, when I went back to search for the short clip, it was nowhere to be found.  The visual, however, was on my mind and thus began to whip up a creamy butternut squash pappardelle.  Fresh sage is a friend to squash as is garlic and browned butter.

pappardelle rigate

you will need

¼ cup butter
2 garlic cloves, sliced
6 sage leaves (more if you like)
1 cup butternut squash purée (or in my case, the leftover casserole)
¼ cup cream
½ cup parmesan, grated
pappardelle

method

Cook pasta to according to package directions, and reserve about ½ cup of the pasta water.

While the pasta is cooking, grab a large skillet and melt the butter over medium heat.  Then add sage.  Cook until the butter starts to brown and the sage leaves begin to crisp up.  Add garlic and stir until fragrant. Remove from skillet and place on a paper towel. In the same skillet, add the butternut squash and stir to combine with the browned butter.  Add cream and parmesan cheese. Stir until the sauce is uniform.  Toss the cooked pappardelle into the sauce.  Use the pasta water to thin out the sauce as needed.

the culinary chase’s note:

This was absolutely scrumptious.  Enjoy!