Tuesday, April 20, 2010

fusilli with butternut squash

the lack of posts lately are due to a combination of nice weather and some much needed vacation. i recently went to austin, tx to visit my aunt and walked a 10k with my grandma (who is almost 80!), my mom, and aunt. i had tons of vegan food while i was there (austin rocks for vegans). the night before the 10k, my aunt (who is a fabulous chef) whipped up this delicious pasta dish so we could carb-load. she made a goat cheese sauce for the rest of the family, but set aside some for me.  i added some raw parmesan and it was delicious!



  • 1 pound fusilli pasta
  • 1 butternut squash
  • 1/2 small onion
  • 3/4 cup walnuts
  • 3/4 cup fresh basil
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/3 cup parma raw parmesan

first peel and cube the butternut squash. place on a foil-lined baking and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, making sure each piece is coated. please in an oven at 425°f for 40 minutes. while the squash is baking, slice your onion and drizzle with olive oil on another foil-lined sheet. place in the oven for 25 minutes (with about half of the squash time left). honestly, i'm not a huge fan of onions, but they work well in this dish. ours got a little burnt, but i actually really liked the crispy flavor, so cook the onion to your preference.

while both of these are roasting, prepare the rest of the ingredients. cook pasta according to directions. chop walnuts and place on a baking sheet - these will need to roast in the oven at 425°f for about 5-6 minutes. wash and chop the basil.

when the pasta is done boiling, combine all the ingredients in one bowl and toss. i used some of the olive oil from the butternut squash pan to coat the pasta. finally toss in the parma, or your favourite vegan parmesan, and serve!

13 comments:

Mihl said...

Your grandma rocks! Thanks for the recipe.

Dianne said...

Mmm this looks soooo good! The squash looks so perfectly roasted in your picture, and I'm sure with the pasta it was creamy and rich. Thank you for the recipe!

Bianca said...

I'm such a fan of butternut squash in pasta! So creamy! And your grandma is awesome. I hope I'm still kicking it like that at 80.

Jill said...

Yum! The pasta sounds awesome! Did you take any pictures of the vegan food you found in Austin? I've always heard good things about the vegan eats there and would love to visit someday :)

Sal - AlienOnToast said...

yum it looks lovely. I love BN squash.

crunchyveganwifelife said...

This is so delish looking, thank you for sharing!

jessy said...

so super awesome on you enjoying the nice weather, rock'n the 10K with your mom, aunt, & grandma, and for a great vacation as well, miss V.! yay!

i've never had squash with pasta before and i can't wait to give it a go. it looks amazing, and i bet the "parm" on top takes it to a whole new level of deliciousness! mmmmmmmm!

Hannah said...

Looks quick and delicious, perfect for a weekday meal! I could totally go for butternut- anything right now.

Anonymous said...

Your Grandma sounds like my Grams- she was rockin' up to her last day on Earth! Right on.
That pasta sounds delicious. I am always on the lookout for butternut squash, rare here, but one of my favourites!

Anonymous said...

Great pasta, I love the combo of the pasta and butternut squash, it's also my daughter's favorite combo too!

Usha said...

I have never used butternut squash in pasta, such a lovely combination, looks delicious !

GF Gidget said...

This sounds amazing!

vegiebug said...

Man oh man this looks delicious! I think I am the worlds biggest fan of sauce-less pasta. So. effing. good.