Rigatoni with Honeynut Squash, Chard & Hazelnuts
From The Weekday Vegetarians
By Jenny Rosenstrach
Honeynut squash is like a butternut squash’s best version of itself—sweeter and more intensely flavored. This recipe, Rigatoni with Honeynut Squash, Chard & Hazelnuts, which essentially adds vegetables to a peppery cacio e pepe–style sauce, is a simple, healthy, warm-your-bones way to enjoy it. If you can’t find honeynut, butternut or kabocha would be a fine swap-in, and the pre-cubed varieties you can find in most produce aisles are your weeknight self’s best friend.
Ingredients (12)
Ingredients (12)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 °F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Combine the squash (2 small) and onion (1 small) on the prepared sheet pan and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes (½ tsp), salt (to taste), and black pepper (to taste) and, using your hands, toss until every piece is coated and shiny.
Roast until the squash looks crispy around the edges, 20 to 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, when the salted water comes to a boil, cook the rigatoni (1 lb) according to the package directions until it’s al dente. In a separate bowl, reserve about 1⁄2 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta and immediately toss it right in the strainer with 1 tablespoon of the butter (3 Tbsp).
Set the pasta pot back on the stovetop over low heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter (3 Tbsp), the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and the garlic (1 clove). Cook until the garlic is golden, about 1 minute, then add the chard (5 cups), salt (to taste), and black pepper (to taste), tossing until the chard has softened and wilted, about 2 minutes.
Toss in the rigatoni along with the Parmesan (½ cup), more salt and black pepper, and about 1⁄4 cup of the reserved pasta water to help distribute the cheese and make the pasta saucy.
Add more pasta water, a tablespoon at a time, as needed.
Toss in the squash-onion mixture, then serve in bowls topped with hazelnuts (⅓ cup).
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Jenny Rosenstrach is the creator of Dinner: A Love Story, the website devoted to family dinner, the author of (most recently) Dinner: A Love Story (Ecco, 2010). For four years, she was the features director at Cookie magazine, Conde Nast's lifestyle magazine for parents, and prior to that, a special projects editor at Real Simple where she launched the first special issue of Real Simple Family. Her essays and articles have appeared in numerous national publications and anthologies including Real Simple, Cookie, Martha Stewart Living, Whole Living, the Op-Ed page of the New York Times, and Bon Appetit .