Fall on a plate

This year, I am putting pumpkin and butternut squash on the bench and experimenting with new fall delicacies. While I look forward to cooking and baking with these orange gourds every fall, I get sick of the flavors very quickly. There are so many other delicious options I have yet to explore! For this dish, I am starting with the delicata squash.

Delicata squash makes the perfect fall addition to this carbonara. It is creamy and aromatic like butternut squash, but not as overpowering of a flavor. Simply roast the squash and blend for a creamy addition to the tradition carbonara combination of egg yolks and Parmesan cheese! Topped with crispy mushrooms and fried sage breadcrumbs, this pasta dish is decadent, hearty and full out fall.

Delicata Squash Carbonara with Mushrooms and Sage Breadcrumbs

Serves: 6

Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 60 min

Ingredients

3 tbsp of olive oil
1 cubed delicata squash (about 2.5 cups)
2 tbsp of fresh thyme leaves
1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes
4 cloves of garlic, 2 smashed and 2 minced
2 cups of mushrooms, diced
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp of butter
6-8 sage leaves
1/3 cup of panko breadcrumbs
1 pound of dry linguine or spaghetti pasta
2 egg yolks, room temperature
3/4 cup of vegetarian Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine the squash, 1 tbsp of olive oil, thyme leaves, smashed garlic and red pepper flakes on one side of a baking sheet pan. In a small bowl, combine the mushrooms, 2 tbsp of olive oil and 2 mined garlic cloves. Transfer to the other side of the baking sheet and top with rosemary sprigs, salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping halfway until the squash is tender and the mushrooms have crisped around the edges.

2. While your veggies are baking, make the breadcrumbs. Heat 1 tbsp of butter on a pan over medium heat. Once melted, place the sage leaves on the pan, making sure they are spread out so they fry evenly. Fry for 3-4 minutes, turning them over halfway until crispy.

3. Remove the leaves, chop them and place in a small bowl. Turn the heat down to low and add the breadcrumbs. Combine the breadcrumbs with the butter until toasted, about 2 minutes. Add the breadcrumbs to the bowl with the sage leaves and combine. Set aside.

4. Transfer the squash and smashed garlic to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Set aside the mushrooms and reserve for topping (I kept mine on the baking sheet in the turned-off oven to keep warm.)

5. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the pureed squash, egg yolks and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper. It will be very thick, but we will use reserved pasta water to thin it out later.

6. Boil the pasta until al dente. When there is about 1 minute left of cooking time, scoop out 1 cup of pasta water. Drain the pasta and add back to the hot pot. Add the squash sauce to the pasta, mixing quickly so that the eggs don’t scramble. Thin out the sauce with the reserved pasta water until it reaches your desired consistency.

7. Top the pasta with the mushrooms and breadcrumbs, serve and enjoy!