I LOVE FALL.

I love an overcast morning. The rain. The smell of cinnamon sticks and butter. The Fall-inspired cups at Starbucks. And all the Pumpkin items at Trader Joes. I am genuinely more happy from October to January. Like noticeably more happy : ) When I found this pumpkin pasta I got so excited that I literally left it on my counter for a week just so it looked cute in the kitchen haha! Anyway, I combined the pasta with butter sage, olive oil, a little red pepper flakes, shallot, and parmesan cheese and it’s absolutely amazing. Scroll down for the recipe!

Fall Butternut Squash & Sage Pasta

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small butternut squash (about 1 lb), peeled, seeded and cut into ½" cubes

1 tsp Kosher salt, 1/2 tsp Black pepper (add more if needed)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (Separate - see directions)

1 small shallot, minced

3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp red pepper flakes

8 ounces Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Zucchette or other short pasta

3/4 cup Grated Pecorino Romano cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. In a frying pan, heat olive oil over high heat until almost smoking. Add butternut squash, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly browned and tender, about 5 minutes.

2. Add 2 tbs. of butter and shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until butter is lightly browned, about 1 minute.

3. Add sage and red pepper flakes and stir to combine. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Set aside.

4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook zucchette until al dente according to package directions. I found this Trader Joe’s pasta took a couple minutes longer than normal. Drain.

5. Add zucchette and 2 more tablespoons butter to frying pan and toss gently to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook until heated through. If necessary, add a tbs. of water to loosen the sauce.

6. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with Pecorino Romano cheese and serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Serious Eats.