Author Notes: Inspired by Amanda Hesser’s Summer Weekend Pasta, I wanted to come up with a version for my favorite season. An ode to fall (as well to its briskness and efficiency), this easy, chewy orecchiette number starts with a sheet pan of my favorite things to eat: guanciale, butternut squash, and Tuscan kale.
A note on guanciale: I love the fatty gaminess that crisped-up guanciale lends, but if you can’t find the cheeky meat in your grocery store, then pancetta and bacon are perfectly delicious substitutes. —Eric Kim
Food52 Review: Featured in: A Quick & Easy Fall Sheet-Pan Pasta for Cozy Weeknights In. —The Editors
Serves: 2
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 40 min
Ingredients
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1
tablespoon olive oil
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4
ounces guanciale (or thick-cut bacon, if you can’t find guanciale), cut into 1/2-inch dice
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8
ounces butternut squash, cut into 1/2-inch dice
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1
bunch Tuscan kale, cut into 1-inch pieces
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1/2
pound orecchiette
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Freshly grated Pecorino Romano, to taste
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Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
- While the oven is preheating at 400°F, cut up the guanciale and butternut squash. Toss them onto a sheet pan, drizzle with the olive oil, shmoosh them around a little, and roast for 30 minutes. At this point, take the sheet pan out, stir in the kale, and place back into the oven to roast for another 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil and cook the orecchiette according to the box’s instructions, usually 9 to 11 minutes or al dente. Drain and add back to the pot. Tip the contents of the sheet pan into the pasta pot and toss with the Pecorino Romano. Salt and pepper to taste.
