I hadn’t used my potato peeler for years. Turns out it was not only dull but also a right-handed peeler, and I’m a lefty. The alternative would have been to use a sharp knife, but when peeling an awkwardly shaped squash like the butternut in this recipe, that method can lead to a lot of waste. And so it came to be that I searched the stores and discovered the Y-peeler. I highly recommend this easy-to-use swivel-blade vegetable shaver with its handle that forks like a Y.
Once peeled, the butternut squash is used in two ways in this pasta: Chunks of the roasted vegetable are tossed with sauteed kale while the remaining cubes are pureed to create a sauce.
Kay Stepkin is a vegetarian cooking instructor and former owner of a vegetarian restaurant/whole-grain bakery. Email her at [email protected]
Creamy pasta with roasted squash and kale
Prep: 35 minutes Cook: 45 minutes Makes: 4 servings
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1 small-medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch cubes, about 11/2 to 2 pounds (4-5 cups)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon each: chili powder, cumin
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup vegetable broth
12 ounces whole wheat fettuccine
1 medium onion, halved, thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 bunch kale, de-stemmed, sliced into 1-inch wide strips
1 Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss cubed squash in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Spread the squash on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring once with a metal spatula, until squash is fork-tender, about 25 minutes.
2 Place 2 cups of the squash in a food processor with 1 tablespoon oil, lemon juice, mustard, chili powder, cumin, soy sauce and vegetable broth. Pulse until smooth. (Reserve remaining squash cubes separately.)
3 Cook the fettuccine in a large pot of well-salted boiling water until al dente, about 10 minutes.
4 Meanwhile, warm remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and sage; season with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the kale; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes.
5 Drain the fettuccine; add to the onion mixture. Mix in the reserved cubed squash. Then stir in the squash puree.
Nutrition information per serving: 521 calories, 12 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 96 g carbohydrates, 17 g protein, 783 mg sodium, 21 g fiber