Spicy Butternut Squash Pasta With Spinach

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Featured recipe in NYTimes Cooking
I had no idea what to expect from the flavour combinations in this recipe, but I had butternut squash, spinach and mozzarella to use up, as well as a stray jalapeno in the fridge! Despite some uncertainty about the combo, I went for it and thought it was fantastic! I really recommend it. And, it was nice and spicy. 

4 Servings.

  • Kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving
  • 1 medium butternut squash (about 2 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeds removed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 6 cups) (Since Kalon wasn't planning to eat this, I actually only used about 2 cups of squash, but kept the rest of the ingredients roughly the same amount. I actually think 6 cups of squash would be much too much but hey...try it!)
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin (see Tip following recipe)
  • ½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more as needed
  • 1 pound penne or other tubular pasta (I used rotini, and probably not as much as they called for)
  • 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth (or water) (or chicken stock, if not vegetarian)
  • ¾ cup grated Parmesan
  • 3 packed cups baby spinach
  • 1 (8-ounce) ball fresh mozzarella, torn into bite-size chunks (I just mostly grated about a cup of mozzarella)
  • 1 jalapeño, sliced into rounds
  • ⅓ cup flat-leaf parsley and tender stems, roughly chopped 
 
  1. Bring a large covered pot of heavily salted water to a boil.
  2. Meanwhile, in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet with high sides and a tight-fitting lid (or a Dutch oven), heat the oil over medium-high until shimmering (I used my cast iron pan which does not have a lid, which was fine). Add the squash and season with salt, cumin and red-pepper flakes (I used the curry substitution they suggest in the tips instead of cumin and red pepper). Cook, stirring every minute, until squash becomes browned in spots and feels just tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook, uncovered, until not quite al dente, 3 to 4 minutes less than the package instructions. (It should be a little too firm to the bite.) Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and drain. If the pasta is done before the squash, then stir in a drizzle of olive oil so that it doesn’t stick together.
  4. When the squash is just tender, add the broth. Bring to an active simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash is soft and easily mashable, 10 to 12 minutes (since I didn't have a lid, the broth reduced quite a bit, which seemed fine). Turn off the heat, then use a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon to crush about half of the butternut squash and leave the rest chunky. Season the squash to taste, keeping in mind that salty Parmesan will be added soon.
  5. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet along with 1 cup reserved pasta water and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, stirring vigorously to combine. Stir in the spinach one handful at a time until it shrinks down a little.
  6. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan, the mozzarella and jalapeño, then place in the oven, on a sheet pan if you are worried about dripping. Cook until the top is melted and browned in spots, 12 to 15 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil, top with parsley and serve.

Tip

  • If you have a preferred curry powder, then you can use 1 to 3 teaspoons of that (according to taste) in place of the cumin and red-pepper flakes.

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