Creamy Acorn Squash Linguine with Fresh Thyme

I have an announcement to make: yesterday, I went to a “Thanksgiving potluck” (yes, we might be a little over eager here)! This wasn’t your typical potluck though, as it was jointly organized by two of the campus’ food clubs, one of which I am a member of. So we’re talking delicious poultry, mouth-watering sides like crispy roasted brussel sprouts, mashed potatoes, or cranberry sauce, and fully satisfying desserts such as pumpkin and apple pies. Now among them all, one dish required me to get seconds: “pumpkin mac n’ cheese”! I liked the combination of pasta and squash so much that I decided to give it my own healthy spin as soon as I had the chance (e.g. the very next day). This turned out so good, I’d rank it as one my favorite recipes to date.

I’ve been spicing up my pasta game lately, and it’s been such a fun time. As it turns out, pasta really is the main part of my diet. However, I used to always settle for a classic marinara sauce with veggies. Sure I would make it myself, and add a lot of different types of veggies and protein every time, but it would still always be the same old type of homemade sauce. Don’t get me wrong, I still think that nothing comes close to that classic combination, but it’s actually very refreshing to toss pasta with something other than tomato sauce.

I then experimented quite a bit, including without a proper “sauce” at all (like here or here), or with some other veggie than tomatoes as a base (right here or here), and since these turned out to be really good, I gave it another try with squash this time around. I figured it’s seasonally appropriate and would be very fun to try. Now this sauce started out as a completely free experiment, no recipe and no measurements, but it turned out to be so amazingly creamy and delicious that I had to share it nonetheless!

Finally, what I also love about this recipe is that it has so much room for experimenting, like trying to use pumpkin, or butternut squash, adding toppings like caramelized shallots, or switching the olive oil for some browned butter… etc. Honestly I can think of so many ways to tweak this base that I shall leave you to it and get back in the kitchen to get cooking! Bon appétit!

Total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

2.8 oz linguine (or any shape pasta)
1/8 acorn squash
1/3-1/2 cup of pasta cooking water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 garlic clove
fresh thyme
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil. While the water heats up, peel the acorn squash and dice it into small chunks. Add it to the boiling water, and let it cook for about 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, take the cubes out with a slotted spoon, and transfer them to a blender. Add the pasta in the remaining water, and cook it for the time indicated on the packaging (about 7 minutes for me).
In the blender, add the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, garlic, and cooking water. Blend until very smooth and creamy.
When the pasta is ready, drain it and put it back in the pot. Toss with the creamy acorn squash dressing.
To serve, garnish with some fresh thyme and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Temps total: 25 minutes

Ingrédients:

80g de linguine (ou pâtes de votre choix)
1/8 courge poivrée
1/3-1/2 tasse d’eau de cuisson des pâtes
1 c.s d’huile d’olive
1 c.s de jus de citron
1/4 de gousse d’ail
thym frais
sel de mer et poivre noir fraichement moulu

Etapes:

Faites bouillir de l’eau salée dans une grande casserole. Pendant que l’eau chauffe, pelez la courge et coupez la en dés de taille moyenne. Mettez les cubes dans l’eau et faites les cuire pendant environ 10 minutes.
Après 10 minutes, sortez les cubes à l’aide d’une cuillère à trous et transférez les dans le bol d’un blender/mixer. Plongez les pâtes dans l’eau restante et faites les cuire pendant le temps indiqué sur l’emballage (environ 7 minutes pour moi).
Dans le blender, ajoutez l’huile d’olive, le jus de citron, le sel et le poivre, l’ail émincé, et l’eau de cuisson des pâtes. Mixez jusqu’à ce que le mélange soit crémeux et complètement homogène.
Lorsque les pâtes sont prêtes, égouttez les, remettez les dans la casserole, et ajoutez la sauce de courge. Remettez le tout sur le feu et mélangez bien de façon à ce que la sauce soit bien répartie.
Pour servir, garnissez de thym frais et de parmesan râpé. Bon appétit!