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Entertaining

Holiday Recipes, Handmade Pasta with Winter Squash

Two people eating pasta on table.
Written By
Parachute Team
Photographs By
Jessica Schramm for Parachute
@parachutehome
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Nothing fills the heart and the belly like a big bowl of pasta. Handmade noodles, delicately cut squash and perfectly crumbled pancetta come together for a dish that is big on flavor. If you're looking for a meal to cook with – or for – a loved one this holiday, look no further. The simple, hearty ingredients will warm your home and leave you ready to curl up with your favorite Quilt for a night by the fire. Get ready, let's make some pasta! 

Toddler making pasta.

INGREDIENTS

For the fresh pasta (you can always just use dried!) - 

  • 2 cups flour

  • 3 large eggs

  • Pinch of salt

For the sauce - 

  • One acorn squash or two small delicata squash, scrubbed and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)

  • 4 oz. Pancetta, diced

  • About 8 sage leaves

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil 

  • 4 tablespoons butter 

  • Parmesan for serving

RECIPE PREPARATION

For the fresh pasta (you can always just use dried!) - 

  • Whisk salt and flour together.

  • On a clean smooth surface, create a mound of the flour with a hole in the center large enough to hold 3 eggs.

  • Crack the eggs into the hole, and slowly start to whisk with a fork.

  • As you whisk slowly begin to add more flour until you end up with a shaggy dough.

  • Knead dough for about 10 minutes until it goes from dry and shaggy, to smooth and elastic (if it doesn’t absorb all of the flour, not to worry).

  • Rest dough for 30 minutes before rolling through a pasta machine, or rolling out with a rolling pin and slicing into long wide noodles.

Cut delicata squash

For the Sauce -

  • Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, cook the pancetta.

  • Brown pancetta over medium high heat in a large skillet. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel lined plate.

  • In the same pan heat olive oil and add squash and a pinch of salt, stirring once or twice until browned, 5-7 minutes.

  • While the squash is browning, cook the pasta in the salted boiling water, until al dente (fresh will take about 2 minutes, dried will take about 8-10). Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain pasta. 

  • When the squash is nicely browned, add the butter and sage and cook until the butter is golden and foaming, just a minute or two, then immediately remove the pan from the heat and add back the pancetta.

  • Add the pasta to the pan and mix with the brown-butter sauce. Add pasta water as needed to smooth the sauce and coat the pasta. Adjust with salt and pepper, and serve with Parmesan, if you like.