Easy, simple, and delicious. It's late summer or early fall on a plate. I know the addition of whole wheat pasta sounds unusual, because regular is pretty much always better, but the whole wheat here gives the pasta a nutty taste that pairs perfectly with the butternut squash and honey goat cheese.
Regular goat cheese can suffice if you can't find the honey stuff, but I will say that the honey version is truly the cherry on top of this dish. It's worth it!
HONEY GOAT CHEESE & SPICED BUTTERNUT SQUASH PASTA
Servings: Around 4-6
Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced into 3/4-inch cubes
12 ounces whole wheat pasta
3 cups massaged kale (or arugula)
4 ounces honey goat cheese (like this)
1/3 cup pepitas or pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tsp salt
salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix the coconut oil, brown sugar, cinnamon, paprika and 1 tsp. salt. Add the squash cubes, and toss to coat.
Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper, and spread the squash out in an even layer.
Cook for 20-25 minutes, flipping the squash when half done.
When cooking the squash, begin boiling the some salted water and make the pasta per package instructions.
Once the pasta is done, reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water before draining it well.
Add the 1/4 cup pasta water, honey goat cheese, kale, pepitas, and squash to the pasta. Toss so that everything gets covered with the yummy cheesy sauce.
Add salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy!
