I learned something last night: Peeling raw acorn squash is not a job that I EVER want to do again. At the moment, I'm willing to accept that I did something wrong. I don't admit this often, so enjoy it while you can.
I cut the squash in half, scooped out the insides, and then sliced it along it's dips (as opposed to its ridges). The problem with acorn squash is that while it is quite possibly one of the cutest and most adorable looking of the squashes, it's a royal pain in the backside to get the peel off of the good stuff when it's not cooked. As I was almost finished getting the blasted peel off of the blasted squash, I realized my melon baller would probably have handled it a lot more gracefully than me and my knife.
Why do my moments of genius always come 10 minutes too late?
Roasted Acorn Squash Pasta
Toss squash, onion and bell peppers in olive oil, sage, salt and pepper. Put on a cookie sheet and bake until everything is getting a beautiful deep golden color, about 20 minutes, stirring half way through.
While the veggies are roasting, cook your pasta to what ever degree of al-dente-ness you prefer.
Toss the veggies, pasta, tomatoes and Gouda together (making sure to leave the most carmelized pieces of onion sticking to the pan, so that when you serve yourself, you can be sure to add them to your bowl. Hey! Cooks get certain privelages).
Serve with Parmesan sprinkled on top.
Notes: It's Presto Pasta Night again! I am loving this excuse to cook pasta once a week!
Oh my oh my oh my did I love the taste of the acorn squash. I usually either cook it with brown sugar to bring out the sweetness or make a "stuffed" squash. But roasting it made it buttery and good. I could have eaten the squash all by itself. It would make a great side dish. Or a main course ALL for me.
I also cooked up about a pound and a half of chicken breasts, cubed them and threw them in to satisfy the The Professor's carnivorous habbits.
I had originally planned to bake this after I mxed everything together, but the veggies and the pasta were hot enough to warm the tomatoes and melt the cheese. And I was starving.
I cut the squash in half, scooped out the insides, and then sliced it along it's dips (as opposed to its ridges). The problem with acorn squash is that while it is quite possibly one of the cutest and most adorable looking of the squashes, it's a royal pain in the backside to get the peel off of the good stuff when it's not cooked. As I was almost finished getting the blasted peel off of the blasted squash, I realized my melon baller would probably have handled it a lot more gracefully than me and my knife.
Why do my moments of genius always come 10 minutes too late?
Roasted Acorn Squash Pasta
- 1 small acorn squash, peel removed (in whatever manner you prefer) and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
- 2 small green bell peppers (or 1 large), sliced
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tsp dried rubbed sage
- 6 oz pasta (penne, bow tie, etc)
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- ½ cup shredded smoked Gouda
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan
Toss squash, onion and bell peppers in olive oil, sage, salt and pepper. Put on a cookie sheet and bake until everything is getting a beautiful deep golden color, about 20 minutes, stirring half way through.
While the veggies are roasting, cook your pasta to what ever degree of al-dente-ness you prefer.
Toss the veggies, pasta, tomatoes and Gouda together (making sure to leave the most carmelized pieces of onion sticking to the pan, so that when you serve yourself, you can be sure to add them to your bowl. Hey! Cooks get certain privelages).
Serve with Parmesan sprinkled on top.
Notes: It's Presto Pasta Night again! I am loving this excuse to cook pasta once a week!
Oh my oh my oh my did I love the taste of the acorn squash. I usually either cook it with brown sugar to bring out the sweetness or make a "stuffed" squash. But roasting it made it buttery and good. I could have eaten the squash all by itself. It would make a great side dish. Or a main course ALL for me.
I also cooked up about a pound and a half of chicken breasts, cubed them and threw them in to satisfy the The Professor's carnivorous habbits.
I had originally planned to bake this after I mxed everything together, but the veggies and the pasta were hot enough to warm the tomatoes and melt the cheese. And I was starving.
4 comments:
I love acorn squash. I usually make a glaze out of whole berry cranberry sauce and orange juice and brush it on slices of acorn squash and roast in the oven.
This recipe sounds great.
The cranberry sauce and orange juice sound awesome. I'm going to have to remember that there are alternatives to butter and sugar and try that. :)
LOL, I too seem to come up with genius ideas AFTER the fact. The pasta does sound wonderful. Thanks for sharing with Presto Pasta Night.
And Amy...I love the idea of cranberry sauce & oj!
Good recipe and great blog, Deborah - my wife and I lately share your partiality for roasting vegetables till the sweetness comes out.
I came across your blog while searching for a way to use acorn squash instead of zucchini in a pasta recipe we were planning (because the zucchini in the fridge had turned into green mush - zucchini in December is a pitiful proposition in Chicago, which is why they call it summer squash, I guess. Jewel probably got this shipment last summer).
Anyway, worked great with a few necessary substitutions (mozzarella cause we had no smoked Gouda) and one frivolous one (canellini beans just in case we needed a megadose of fiber). But you're right - peeling an acorn squash is more like woodworking than food preparation!
Post a Comment