Brown butter rigatoni with butternut squash

I don’t need to convince you how wonderful brown butter is. Nutty and rich, it’s an affordable indulgence if I’ve ever seen one. It’s also really easy to make!

Here’s all you need: a pan, some butter, and a little bit of patience. It’s kind of like toasting nuts in the oven. One second they’re good, and the next they’re burnt if you don’t watch out for them. But! If you keep stirring melted butter, it becomes golden and turns into glorious, glorious brown butter. So worth it!

This is a perfect dish to make on a cold evening, with a crisp wine in hand. Butternut squash works well with the brown butter (um, duh), but this would be great with any winter squash or root vegetable.

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Brown butter rigatoni with roasted butternut squash

Ingredients

• 2 cups cubed butternut squash
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Sprinkle of cloves
• Sprinkle of chili powder
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/2 lb. rigatoni pasta
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 stem fresh sage
• To serve: Lemon, fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Toss the butternut squash cubes with olive oil, ground cloves, chili powder, and red pepper flakes. Add a few pinches of salt and pepper.
3. Roast the butternut squash in the oven for around 30 minutes until caramelized and softened.
4. Meanwhile cook the rigatoni according to the instructions on the package. Before you drain the pasta, reserve 1/3 cup of the pasta water and set aside.
5. Prepare the sauce by melting the butter. Add the sage. Let this cook on medium low heat until slightly nutty in color and smell. Watch this carefully to avoid burning! At this point remove the sage from the butter.
6. To the sage butter, stir in the pasta water, the pasta and the roasted butternut squash. Finish the dish with a squeeze of lemon to brighten everything up and tons of fresh parsley.

Created using The Recipes Generator