This vegetarian recipe for Penne with Roasted Butternut Squash & Goat Cheese is a classic blend of flavors that just screams “Fall”. I always forget just how much I love roasted veggies until September comes around again and the house just smells a-m-a-z-i-n-g! And take that opportunity while the oven is on to roast other things for make-ahead meals. You’ll find if you plan it properly, you can meal prep everything at once and use many of the same ingredients. I have three recipes going all at one time right now. Loving it!
I like to peel, de-seed and cube up the butternut squash and roast at 400 degrees along with the onions. Arrange them in a single layer so they have plenty of room to get all golden and tender. There are so few ingredients in this dish, getting that depth of flavor from roasting is really important. It does take a little bit of extra time, but it really is worth it.
I used penne for this dish. Actually, mini penne because it happens to be my personal favorite. I really feel like it is the perfect pasta shape, but you could certainly switch it up.
Rounding out the flavors are goat cheese (if you are vegan, consider swapping for vegan cream cheese), fresh basil leaves and chopped walnuts. Just before serving, I added a sprinkling of grated parmesan cheese. Again, wonderful vegan versions are available for parmesan these days. If you’d prefer to skip it all together, take those walnuts and grate them. Perhaps add some nutritional yeast?
If you make this recipe for Penne with Roasted Butternut Squash & Goat Cheese, leave a comment below and let your fellow readers know what you think! It also helps them decide if they want to make it as well 🙂
Penne with Roasted Butternut Squash & Goat Cheese {Vegetarian}
Ingredients
- 1 tsp Oil
- 2 lbs . Butternut Squash peeled, seeded & cut into 1" cubes
- 1 large onion cut into a large dice
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 1/2 lb Penne Pasta or mini penne
- 4 oz . Goat Cheese or if you are vegan, consider vegan cream cheese
- 1/2 C Parmesan or if you are vegan, consider vegan parmesan
- Fresh Parsley chopped
- OPTIONAL: Add a few chopped walnuts or pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- On a large sheet pan, add the oil, squash cubes, onions, salt and pepper.
- Roast until tender and golden.
- Set aside.
- Prepare pasta to box instructions and drain but reserve 1 CUP of the pasta water
- In the same pasta pot, add the pasta, goat cheese (or vegan cream cheese) and pasta water creating a sauce.
- Add the squash and onions back in and fold gently.
- Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
- Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan (or vegan parmesan) cheese and chopped fresh parsley.
- Optional, add a few chopped walnuts or pecans, if desired.
- Serve immediately.
Leave a Reply