Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash and Shallots (Vitatas #2)

Back in October 2008 I made my first recipe with Butternut Sqaush and loved it. So when I found a Butternut Squash in this weeks Vitatas I knew I would like it. I decided not to make the same recipe and went looking for another dish.

Those of you who know me well will probably not be very surprised that it´s another pasta dish. I love pastas, so when I saw this recipe I knew I found a winner. The taste was great, although I did miss a sauce..... The added brown sugar brought out the sweet taste of the velvety squash and the shallots were cooked to perfection.

I cooked the Butternut Squash by cutting the squash in half vertically and removing the seeds and fibers with a spoon. I then placed the halves, cut sides down, in a baking dish and added water to a depth of 2 centimeters. The two halves were baked at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes until tender and could be pierced easily with a fork.

The only thing I changed about the recipe is that I quartered the shallots instead of slicing them in halves.

3 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 shallots, peeled and halved lengthwise (about 1/2 pound)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
4 ounces uncooked pappardelle (wide ribbon pasta) or fettuccine
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 475°.

Combine the squash, sugar, 2 1/2 teaspoons oil, salt, pepper, and shallots in a jelly roll pan; toss well. Bake at 475° for 20 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in sage.

While the squash mixture bakes, cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. Place cooked pasta in a bowl. Add 2 teaspoons oil; toss well. Serve the squash mixture over pasta. Sprinkle with cheese.