Large pasta shells in a cozy, squashy sauce of butternut, pumpkin puree and ground beef, this squash pasta makes a wonderful meal for blustery winter days!
It was very windy and rainy here last week! And well, we had this extra large, rather old butternut squash lying around almost begging to be cooked – it made a lovely table top piece for a number of months and was practically a friend of the family but it was time. I just searched my phone for a picture that might have this hunk in the background just to better describe its size, but no luck – let’s just leave it as we have cooked this meal three times last week and I still have squash to roast tonight…
Anyway, Pop has been thoroughly enjoying this dish (except the one time I tried to up the spice level with more red pepper – she did not approve) – I haven’t even been asked to make potatoes once this week! So let’s get to it!
First we have to cube up our butternut squash. We want these to be rather small so that they will get swallowed up by our large pasta shells (and bonus, it will cook faster). I know squashes can be some of the most dangerous things to breakdown. A trick I often use is to pop that sucker in the microwave for a minute or two, just to soften it a tiny bit to help with trying to cut it in half and such (couldn’t this time, that hunk literally did not fit). You could also opt to use the pre-cut butternut squash that can be found in most grocery stores nowadays but you will want to still cube these smaller.
After the squash, the rest of our prep will feel like a breeze – slice up an onion, mince up some garlic, gather and measure some spices, tomato paste, pumpkin puree, parmesan, and pasta. Some notes on our ingredients:
- Our spices here: cumin, smoked paprika, thyme, and ground red pepper. If you like spice, feel free to add more red pepper; if you can’t handle the heat, leave it out completely (no judgement, promise).
- We include pumpkin puree to add a silky texture to the sauce plus more squashy flavor (I love squash). I stock up on cans of the straight pumpkin (NOT pre-seasoned for pie) near Thanksgiving, as it is the easiest time to find it and I use it regularly throughout the winter. This recipe only calls for about half a can (okay, a little more than half but it won’t change drastically if you want to keep it simple and only use half) – luckily the rest of the can will freeze nicely until the next time you are ready to make this or use it for something else. Alternatively, you could puree your own pumpkin or if you have a large butternut squash on hand, cook and puree what does not go into the recipe cubed to use in place of the pumpkin.
- Be sure to grate your parmesan before you start cooking. I have a habit of forgetting this…
- We love to use the large pasta shell shape pretty regularly in our house for chunky, saucy dishes – they aren’t JUST for stuffing! You could swap these out for your favorite pasta shape but keep in mind we want a shape that is going to grab on and/or engulf this sauce. Aim for big voids and ridges.
And now we cook. It is important to get your water boiling when you start cooking the dish so you can drop the pasta right into the squashy sauce as soon as its done. It should time just right for this if you have all your ingredients prepared, start the water with the skillet, and begin to cook the pasta just after you cover the squash to simmer.
I like to serve this pasta with a simple oil & vinegar dressed salad. The extra sauce is yummy with some tangy, crunchy greens.
If you give this Two Squash Pasta a try, share it with us over on Instagram @theveryhungrycrafter. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Two Squash Pasta
Ingredients
- ½ pound ground beef
- 1 yellow onion, halved and sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound butternut squash, cubed small, ~½"-1" approx. 3 cups
- 1 ½ tsp cumin, ground
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp thyme
- ⅛ tsp ground red pepper more or less to taste
- ⅓ cup tomato paste approx. 3 ounces
- 1½ cup water
- 8 oz pumpkin puree approx. 1 cup or half a can
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese plus optionally more for serving
- 8 oz large pasta shells
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- To start – prep your ingredients (chop, slice, dice, measure). Set a large pot of water to boil and heat a large skillet to medium heat.
- Break up your ground beef and add to heated skillet (if you are using a leaner blend of beef, you may want to add some oil to the pan first). Cook about 30 seconds then add your onions and garlic. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes or until onion is beginning to soften.
- Add your butternut squash to the skillet and stir to combine. Sprinkle on your spices (cumin, smoked paprika, thyme, red pepper) and salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Add your tomato paste, stirring to coat the squash, and allowing the mixture to cook briefly. Pour in 1½ cups of water and bring to a simmer. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for10 to 15 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until squash is fork tender.
- While your squash is simmering, cook your pasta shells – salt your boiling water well and add your pasta to cook, refer to package directions for time (al dente is good here – the shells will cook a little more in the squash later but we want them to be pliable enough to stuff themselves a bit when we add them in). Stir occasionally to keep the larger pastas from sticking together. If your pasta is done before your squash, be sure to save ½ cup of so of cooking water for later.
- Once your squash is cooked to fork tender, stir pumpkin into the mix. Simmer for another 5 minutes or so.
- Add cooked pasta to the squash with ¼ to ½ cup of pasta water (depending on your desired consistency). Stir to combine. Stir in parmesan and simmer for a few more minutes to meld the sauce and shells and serve!
I LOVE THIS ❤️❤️❤️❤️