Alexandra Andrekovic is passionate about sustainability, slow living, and cooking up dynamic meals as nourishment. We met Alex earlier in 2022 through our partnership with Carbon Neutral Club, and her energy is as soul warming as this dish she shared. “Lately I’ve been really leaning into self care, and I truly think that cooking and eating a nourishing yet yummy meal is my favorite way to love my mind and body,” she says.
Using seasonal ingredients such as delicata squash and shallots, the Creamy Squash and Sage Pappardelle Pasta with Roasted Hazelnuts is the perfect autumnal dish to whip up any night of the week. It’s extremely creamy This recipe is vegan—though can be made extra creamy with dairy or combined with crispy pancetta for a bit of smokey, salty flavor—and is created mostly with items you can find at your local farm shop or organic grocery store during the fall.
Pair this dish with some merino wool, and you've got yourself a cozy autumnal evening like no other.
Creamy Squash and Sage Pappardelle Pasta with Roasted Hazelnuts
with Alexandra Andrekovic
Delicata squash is my favorite squash by far, it has a sweet, light flavor, and is so buttery! Also the skin is edible! If you can’t find a delicata squash, I’d recommend using a kabocha, acorn, or whichever one is your favorite! Just keep in mind that all squash varieties will have different amounts of water content, so you may need to adjust the pasta water in the pasta sauce accordingly.
This recipe is made with mostly things you can find at your local farm or organic grocery store in the fall season. This recipe is plant based, however if you prefer to eat dairy and meat, you can swap the cashew cream for regular cream, add parmesan and thinly sliced pancetta. Fry the pancetta on the side and add at the very end with the sauce.
Ingredients:
For 3–4 servings
- 1 delicata squash, halved
- 1 sprig of sage
- Your choice of cooking oil, I used olive oil
- 2 shallots, finely sliced
- 1–2 cloves of garlic, minced
- Pinch of red chili flakes
- 1–1 ½ cups of reserved pasta water
- ¼ cup of cashews (for cashew cream. Use regular cream if desired)
- 1 t salt
- Black pepper, as desired
- ½ cup of hazelnuts, roasted & roughly chopped
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Place the cashews in a small bowl and cover them with boiling water. Set aside to soak.
- Thoroughly wash the delicata squash (or squash of your choice), and cut the top and bottom tips off. Halve the squash lengthwise, and use a spoon to remove the seeds. With a brush or your fingers, lightly coat the interior of the squash with olive oil.
- Place the squash flesh down on a pan, and use a fork or knife to poke several holes in both halves of the squash’s skin. Bake for 30–40 minutes, until soft.
- While the squash is baking, finely slice the shallots and mince the garlic. First, add the shallots to a saucepan with a drizzle of oil, on low heat for 5–7 minutes. You want to cook them on low heat so that they get a nice caramelized texture!
- Add the minced garlic, chili flakes, sage, salt and pepper to the pan, and continue to cook on low heat for another 5–10 minutes. If the squash is still baking, turn off the stove to prevent the shallots, garlic etc. from burning and set aside.
- Put a large pot of water to boil, generously salt the water. Once it has reached a rolling boil, add the pappardelle pasta and cook as per package instructions. After about 5 minutes, reserve 1–2 cups of pasta water for the sauce.
- Rinse the cashews, and add them to a blender with ¼ cup of pasta water and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Remove the flesh of the squash with a spoon, and transfer it into the blender with the cashew cream. Add an additional 1 cup of pasta water, a teaspoon of salt, and most of the caramelized shallots, garlic and sage. Save about ¼ cup to top.
- Blend until smooth. Add more pasta water until you reach your desired consistency.
- Top with roasted hazelnuts, more shallots, garlic and sage, and enjoy!
See how it's made on TikTok!
