Equipment
Ingredients
Vegetables and Aromatics
- 600 g butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1.5cm cubes
- 400 g cherry tomatoes, whole
- 4 garlic, peeled and smashed
- 2 g fresh rosemary, finely chopped
Pantry and Pasta
- 45 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 300 g rigatoni or penne pasta
- kosher salt
- 2 g red pepper flakes
Finishing
- 50 g pecorino romano cheese, finely grated
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 519 kcal
- Protein
- 16 g
- Carbohydrates
- 80 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fiber
- 7 g
- Sugar
- 9 g
- Sodium
- 417 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 4 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 9 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 13 mg
- Potassium
- 972 mg
- Calcium
- 240 mg
- Iron
- 4.1 mg
- Magnesium
- 109 mg
- Phosphorus
- 318 mg
- Zinc
- 1.8 mg
- Vitamin A
- 821 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 47 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.1 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 4.0 mg
- Vitamin K
- 9 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.1 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.83 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.39 mg
- Niacin
- 7.3 mg
- Folate
- 220 mcg
- Water
- 143 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Arrange an oven rack in the center position.
Place the diced butternut squash, whole cherry tomatoes, smashed garlic cloves, chopped rosemary, and red pepper flakes onto the large baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil, season generously with salt, and toss until everything is evenly coated.
Roast in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring halfway through. The squash should be completely tender and beginning to caramelize, and the tomatoes should be heavily blistered and bursting.
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rapid boil. Add the rigatoni and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Reserve at least 250ml of the starchy pasta water before draining.
Transfer the hot roasted vegetables and all their rendered juices from the baking sheet into the large deep skillet. Using a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon, gently crush about half of the squash and tomatoes to form a chunky, rustic paste.
Place the skillet over medium-low heat. Add the drained pasta, half of the grated cheese, and 120ml of the reserved pasta water. Vigorously stir and toss everything together until the crushed vegetables, cheese, and starchy water emulsify into a glossy sauce that coats the pasta.
Remove from heat, transfer to warmed serving bowls, and garnish with the remaining grated pecorino romano cheese.
Chef's Notes
- The secret to a vegetable-forward pasta is maximizing the Maillard reaction. Do not crowd your baking sheet; the vegetables need space to roast and caramelize rather than steam.
- Rigatoni or paccheri are ideal here because their large tubular shapes act like vacuums, trapping the crushed tomato and squash ragu inside for perfect bites.
- Do not rinse your pasta. The surface starches are crucial for binding the natural juices of the roasted vegetables into a cohesive sauce.
- For an extra layer of flavor, try browning a tablespoon of butter in the skillet before adding the roasted vegetables and pasta.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store pasta and sauce together; the flavors will deepen overnight.
Freezer: 2 months — Freeze the squash and tomato sauce only, do not freeze the mixed pasta.
Reheating: Reheat gently in a skillet with a splash of water to revive the emulsified sauce.
Troubleshooting
The sauce is dry and clumpy instead of glossy
Cause: Not enough starchy pasta water was used, or the pan was too hot causing the water to evaporate immediately
Fix: Add a splash of hot water or broth and stir vigorously off the heat until the emulsion reforms
Prevention: Always reserve more pasta water than you think you need and emulsify off high heat
Squash is mushy while tomatoes are barely cooked
Cause: Squash was diced too small relative to the size of the tomatoes
Fix: Cannot be fixed once cooked, but the dish will still be delicious as a smoother sauce
Prevention: Cut squash into pieces slightly larger than the cherry tomatoes to ensure even cooking times
Cultural Context
This dish represents the bridge between late summer harvests and early winter storage crops. In rural Italian cooking, pasta serves primarily as an economical vehicle to stretch whatever vegetables are most abundant, elevating humble, long-lasting ingredients like winter squash into rich, satisfying main courses.
