Pasta With Butternut Squash, Kale and Brown Butter
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 1tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed oil
- 1 to 1½pounds butternut, honeynut, acorn or delicata squash, peeled if desired, halved, seeded and sliced ¼-inch-thick crosswise
- 1pound whole-wheat spaghetti or linguine
- 1bunch Tuscan kale, ribs removed, leaves torn or coarsely chopped
- 6tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced
- 1¼teaspoons garam masala
- ½teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more as needed
- 1teaspoon finely grated lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons juice (from 1 lemon), plus more juice as needed
- Grated Parmesan, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
663 calories; 25 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 101 grams carbohydrates; 15 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 19 grams protein; 775 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven or skillet, heat half the oil over medium-high. Add half the squash in a single layer, season with salt and cook, undisturbed, until browned underneath, 3 to 5 minutes. Scoot the squash to the side of the pot, piling it up as needed to make room, then add the remaining oil. Arrange the remaining squash in a single layer, season with salt and cook until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. (If there’s not enough room for the second batch, remove the browned squash to a plate while you cook the rest.)
- Step 2
When the water comes to a boil, add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. During the last 3 minutes of the cooking, add the kale. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta.
- Step 3
When all the squash is browned, return all the squash to the pot, if you set any aside while cooking the second batch. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the butter and stir with the squash until the butter is golden, nutty smelling and foaming, 1 to 4 minutes. (If you’re using a dark pot, it can be hard to tell if the butter’s browned, so spoon some of the butter on the squash to see if the butter’s speckled brown.) Turn off the heat, add the garam masala and red-pepper flakes, and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 1 tablespoon of cold water (or an ice cube) and toss gently to stop the cooking, then set aside until the pasta is ready.
- Step 4
Add the pasta and ½ cup pasta water to the squash mixture. Set over low heat and toss gently until the pasta is glossed with sauce. (Some squash pieces might break apart, which can be a good thing: better disbursement through the pasta.) If the pasta looks dry, add more pasta water as needed. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon zest and juice. Season to taste with more lemon juice, red-pepper flakes and salt. Top servings with grated Parmesan.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
susan
The recipe states that the kale goes in the pasta water, and to peel the squash if you desire. Microwaving it briefly makes it easier to peel and cut.
Heather
The best way I have found is to microwave the entire squash for like 30 seconds and then use a peeler. The microwave will soften the skin. There are YouTube videos that can show you easy ways to peel them.
susan
Step 2 When the water comes to a boil, add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. During the last 3 minutes of the cooking, add the kale. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta.
Sophia
Similar to other commenters - found this dry with just butter and too much pasta. I decided to roast the squash which was delicious. To add some more flavour I made a goat cheese sauce by combining pasta water, goat cheese, lemon and all the spices in the recipe. This made the dish creamy and delicious
Me
Made exactly as written. Squash came out great. Possibly sautéing kale after squash is out of that pan would be more flavorful but it was so easy we’d do it this way again. So, thumbs up on techniques, and good way to use fall CSA produce. HOWEVER I wish I’d listened to my inner voice that adding garam masala to pasta sounded strange; would have been much happier with sage or thyme or other pasta-happy flavors instead. Pumpkin spice spaghetti…not for everyone.
Pam
Delicata squash is very pretty and it is nice to eat with its (delicate) skin on. The other squashes have a tough skin that might not be pleasant in this dish. I think it would be worthwhile to peel the butternut and honeynut before they go into the pan. Acorn is very difficult to peel because of its ridges and curves. I would save the acorn squash for a different recipe.
Jennifer
This was delicious and easy to make. Used arugula instead of kale. Adding lemon zest and juice at the end really makes this dish, as they balance the sweetness of the butternut squash. Will definitely make this again.
Heather
Wonderful flavors. No real sauce to speak of, I would reserve more than a cup of cooking liquid next time to add.
YiaYia
I’ve made a version of this for years, using a small Mexican (soft) chorizo, cumin & smoked paprika instead of the garam masala. Butternut squash & kale are an almost magical combination on their own. I’ve been known to nuke cubes of squash & kale together & eat with lemon & olive oil for a simple lunch.
Diana
This was divine. Working from other comments, I roasted (unpeeled honey nut butternut) squash in the oven. I browned the butter in the pasta pot after cooking and draining. I sauteed a generous handful of coarsely chopped sage and a fresh chili pepper in the browned butter, then added the squash and stirred lightly. I added back the pasta and tossed with a full cup of pasta water, a few tablespoons of minced preserved lemon, and a cup of so of grated parmesan.
Mardale Bee
Instead of lemon juice, I plan to use pomegranate molasses---great with winter squash!
Jay
Would recommend roasting the squash. Used about 1.5 lbs of acorn squash with the peel on (spiced prob a bit less than 1/4 in thick) with the recommended cooking method and it turned out good but it was a lot of surface area and I had to do batches in a large skillet. A sheet pan would've been the way to go. Really liked the flavour melding with the squash and butter and garam masala. No complaints on taste.
Kalle
Add toasted pine nuts and currants or pomegranate seeds
Kate W
I always cut both ends from the butternut squash, then cut the neck from the bottom. Stand each piece on a cutting board and trim off the peel with a sharp knife. Saves your hands! Or even faster, buy the organic, peeled chunks at Costco when in season.
Debbie F.
After peeling and cutting the squash as instructed, I roasted the squash pieces with olive oil, salt and pepper until they caramelized. After the pasta was done, I added the roasted pieces to complete the recipe. We really enjoyed it and will definitely make it again.
Maggie
Late in the process I discovered I was almost out of garam masala, but I was a little worried about the flavor profile anyway, especially in June! So I raided my herb garden and added about a half cup of herbs at the end: parsley, thai basil, dill, thyme, mint, rosemary. It was terrific! I’ll use even more next time.
iveta steinhobel
Made w half pound rigatoni and 5 TBSP butter. Next time reduce garam masala as Mart said too strong.
Gerri
Husband and I loved this. Used 8 oz of regular pasta and 4 TBSP Miyoko’s butter but kept other ingredients the same. One unpeeled medium sized acorn squash worked just fine and was very tasty. Sautéed chopped curly kale in the pan after the squash was finished. Added drained pasta to squash and kale. We liked the garam masala. Needed about 1 1/4 C of water. A definite keeper!
Jo
Delicious. As per some of the comments, I reduced the amount of butter, used less oil as I Roasted the squash in my air fryer. Used “Italian” seasoning instead of garam masala. Definitely a cold weather dish. I just wish the NYT would give an estimate of the prep.
Pretzel
It still drives me bananas that this recipe says "disbursement" where it should say "dispersal."
Geoffrey
Added cherry tomatoes & omitted red pepper flakes. Garlic would make it even tastier!
loved this!
I used left over squash from thanksgiving and skipped right to the browning butter step! It was delicious. More red pepper flakes and lemon juice!
Kent H
Cubed and sheet pan toasted the butternut squash separately. Chopped and stir fried the kale separately. Made a brown butter sage sauce while cooking the pasta. Added the butternut squash then the kale to the brown butter sauce. Then tossed in the pasta. We tried it with and without Garam - works both ways. It may depend on the Garam mix you use and your taste. Great tastes of fall. We will keep making. 😋
Karen
Love the garam masala used here. The ratio of pasta to green & squash is way too high for me. If I make this, may halve the pasta.
Linnaea
If you don't heavily salt your pasta water, this will be underseasoned. It ended up being much better with all of the lemon juice from a whole lemon, not just 2 T. The squash cooking method really didn't work, even with my largest Dutch oven, it took four batches and after 3-5 min on a side,they were only half cooked. I ended up sautéing them on the other side too, which helped. If I did it again, I'd cut the squash into 1/4inch thick and bite sized pieces and just sauté them up normally.
DennisD
Outstanding. I used the delicate squash. I think Pine nuts would make a good addition. You could even add a small amount of Italian sausage.
Anna
Used acorn squash, scooped it out, and made it into a sauce with the butter and pasta water. Delicious!
Name Betsy
11/12/23 Made as written. Sort of mediocre. Wouldn’t rush to make again.
Elaine H
We all really loved this meal. Made it with a 2 lb kabocha squash I had on hand and 8 oz chickpea spaghetti. Didn't drain the pasta and kale, instead used tongs and a strainer to transfer to the pan with the squash, and then added not only the 1 c of pasta water but probably another 1/2 c to keep from being too dry. The only thing I will change in future is to add more kale, as 1 bunch seemed to disappear.
Georgann
This was really easy and delicious. Although, I thought the recipe as written had either too much pasta or too little squash and kale. Next time I'd add more veggies. Based on previous comments, I increased the butter to 8 tablespoons and roasted the squash in the oven. I ended up using about 1-1/3 cups water to create enough sauce. The extra squeeze of lemon juice on the plate right before serving, along with extra parm, was the key to bringing out the flavors so don't skip it.
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