Squash This!

It's that time of year for recipes. The time of year where the glorious Gourd takes center stage, in its manifold forms: pumpkin, acorn, and, my personal fave, spaghetti. In fact, I will be posting my Spaghetti Squash Casserole recipe I will be demo'ing @ the Philadelphia Food & Wine Festival shortly. But this post is dedicated to the colorful, popular, if not sometimes vexing butternut variety. A name that congers cozy, comfort food... but can be a real witch to deal with, if ya know what I mean.

I found this recipe from CHOW to be pretty simple to prepare. I enjoy a chunky texture to my pastas, and this one certainly had that, but I would recommend taking your with the squash in the saute pan to make sure they're nice and tender. And I chose egg noodles, because the creamy sauce clings to them nicely...

Egg Noodles with Butternut Squash & Thyme Cream Sauce

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into medium dice
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

• Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the egg noodles until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
  
• Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic, and salt and sauté until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes.
  
• Add the squash, thyme, and pepper and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the squash is starting to brown and just gives way when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes.
  
• Pour in the cream, stir to coat the vegetables, and bring to a boil. Stir in the cheese and simmer for 2 minutes.
  
• Transfer the pasta directly into the sauce. Remove the pasta and sauce from heat and toss with tongs to coat the pasta.
• Add the reserved pasta water by the tablespoon to reach the desired sauce consistency. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.