Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup mushrooms, such as oyster, mushroom, or maitake, roughly chopped
- 2 pounds hard squash (approximately 1 large butternut, kabocha, acorn, or honeynut squash), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced, divided
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage, minced
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 12 ounces dried pasta, such as fettuccine, spaghetti, or linguine
- 12 cups water
- 1/2 cup Pecorino or Parmesan cheese, grated, plus more for serving
Instructions
- Heat butter in Caraway’s sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Then, add sage and 2 cloves minced garlic. Cook for another 3-5 minutes until mushrooms are crispy and fragrant. Use a slotted spoon to transfer mushrooms, sage, and garlic to a small bowl, allowing excess butter to remain in the sauté pan. Set aside.
- Add squash, onion, and remaining 3 cloves minced garlic to sauté pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes until the onions become translucent and squash softens. Add broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for another 20 minutes, until the liquid has reduced by half and squash is fully tender.
- Meanwhile, add water and a generous pinch of salt to Caraway’s Dutch oven. Bring to a rolling boil, then add pasta. Cook until al dente, usually one minute less than package instructions. Drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of pasta water.
- Once tender, carefully pour squash mixture in a blender or food processor. Purée until smooth. Then, transfer squash purée back to the sauté pan and turn heat to low.
- Transfer cooked pasta to the sauté pan with the squash sauce and toss to cover.
- Add cheese in two batches, allowing cheese to incorporate into the sauce before adding the next batch. The sauce should be glossy and smooth—if it’s too stiff, add more pasta water, one tablespoon at a time. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve pasta topped with reserved crispy mushrooms, more cheese, and freshly-cracked pepper. Enjoy!