As winter approaches, I have been craving a lot of winter squash, kale, and root vegetables. The other day, Leung and I decided to make ourselves a feast of roasted vegetables, and stuffed ourselves silly with broccoli, cauliflower, parsnip, sweet poe, and brussel sprouts; this was the best dinner ever. I’m craving more roasted veggies as I type.
Afterwards, we went ahead and made a really epic gingerbread chocolate chip skillet cookie (oh-em-gee, I’m definitely making more this week), as well as a gingerbread bread pudding (that still needs tweaking), so that’s correct, our Christmas recipes are on their way!
Thinking about the holidays is really what gets me through the long week days. Assignment after assignment, meeting after meeting, and countless other not-so-exciting obligations I’ve committed to this year has me evaluating my own sanity; at times, I feel like I don’t even have time to breathe.
My favourite days are still the days when our Castle Family gets to sit down together and have a chill night together sharing some good food and laughs. I owe it to them for keeping me (sort of) sane throughout the academic year. Thanks Castle, you all know Leung and I both love y’all.
I first made this pasta when attending a joint birthday celebration. Since Leung and I always seem to make similar things, it was a good thing that I asked her what she was making beforehand or else we’d both have brought vegan mac n’ cheese to the occasion. Not that it would have been a bad thing; who can say no to too much mac n’ cheese? Since she had to photograph her mac n’ cheese recipe for the blog, I decided to experiment with another fall-inspired pasta dish.
My idea was to use red pepper flakes, onions, and garlic to infuse the pasta so no sauce would be needed. I also added some pumpkin puree to add more dimension of flavour and make it more autumn-y. Pair it off with squash, kale, and pumpkin seeds for the final touch. Absolute perfection of a pasta dish!
- 1 medium delicate squash, cubed (about 2 cups)*
- 2 servings brown rice fettuccine**, or regular pasta if not gluten-free
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp red chilli flakes
- 2 small onions, thinly sliced
- 4 large cloves of garlic, minced
- ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1 small bunch kale, stripped, washed, and torn into pieces
- Toasted pumpkin seeds for garnish (optional)***
- Begin by roasting the cubed squash with a light coating of oil, salt, and pepper at 400⁰F for 25-30 minutes.
- While the squash is roasting, cook the fettucine in a medium pot according to package directions.
- In a large skillet, heat up the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chilli flakes and sauté briefly, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat and allow the chilli flakes to infuse the oil for at least 10 minutes.
- Turn the stove back onto medium-high heat and cook the garlic and onion until caramelized.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low. Mix in the pumpkin puree and then season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the kale to the pan and cover with a lid until wilted. Then add the roasted squash and cooked pasta. Toss until evenly mixed and garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds, if desired. Serve hot.
**Spaghetti also works well here.
***Toasted walnuts also pairs well.
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