Allison and Don Hooper
It’s easy to eat well when you own one of the best cheese companies in the world and keep a freezer stocked with meats and produce raised on your farm. The trick is getting two busy parents and three ...
This versatile recipe, provided by Betsy Thompson of Vermont Creamery, is easy to toss together for a quick supper during the week or to increase for a dinner party over the weekend. We love the creamy sauce the herbed crème fraîche makes, and with the crunch of toasted pepitas, it’s a sensory delight!
Ingredients
SERVINGS: Serves 2–4
- 1 two-pound butternut squash (approximately), peeled, seeded and cut into ¾-inch chunks
- 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds), toasted
- 1 pound penne pasta or other short pasta of your preference
- 2 tablespoons Vermont Creamery cultured butter
- 1 small sweet onion, chopped
- 8 to 10 leaves fresh sage, chopped
- 1 cup Vermont Creamery crème fraiche
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 400°. Place squash cubes on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Roast squash for around 40 minutes until tender and cooked through but not browned. While squash is roasting, gently toast the pepitas in an unoiled frying pan. Remove the squash from the oven and set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Once cooked, set aside about ½ cup pasta water, then strain pasta and set aside.
In the same pasta cooking pot, brown the butter for about 2 minutes. Once the butter has begun to brown, add onion and sauté till soft. Remove from heat, add sage leaves and toss to coat, allowing the heat of the butter/pan to bring out the flavor of the herb. Spoon in the crème fraîche and gently stir to combine. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Pour cooked pasta into the herbed crème fraîche sauce and gently toss. Add pasta water in small amounts if the mixture looks dry. Once combined, fold in the butternut squash and serve, topping each plated dish with a sprinkle of the toasted pepitas.
Related Stories & Recipes
