Fireworks Campenelle Pasta with Butternut Sage Butter

by Jessica Jacobson

One of my favorite ingredients for cooking in the fall is butternut squash. It is sweet, earthy, and easily takes on other flavors while adding a creamy texture to pretty much everything. For our October 2022 recipes, we are featuring pasta. And what better pasta to feature than Pastificio? I met with Pastificio co-founder/co-owner Claudia last week to learn more about their heirloom grain pasta. They use locally grown, harvested and milled wheat. Because of that Pastificio is a delicious and highly digestible pasta. No frankenwheat here!

It made me so excited to try this as soon as I could. The campenelle shape is perfect for this kind of sauce. The pasta holds the buttery squash and bacon bits perfectly. This is another fall favorite to add to the cozy weekend at-home menu. Pair it with a delicious crisp white, like Sauvignon Blanc. Mmmm. Sizzle. Spread. Boom.

This recipe will make enough for 6 adults as the main course.

Ingredients

  • 14 ounces Campenelle Pasta
  • 4 tablespoons Fireworks butternut sage butter (2 butter bursts, each burst is about 2 Tbls)
  • 2 cups butternut squash & sage soup (recipe below)
  • ½ of a small butternut squash, cut into ½ chunks and roasted
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
  • 4-5 slices of pancetta, cooked and crumbled
  • ⅓ cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
  • ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 tbs garlic, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Soup Ingredients 

  • 2 cups roasted butternut squash
  • 4 small celery stalks
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 small onion
  • 4 roasted garlic cloves
  • 3 tbs fresh herbs, chopped
  • 2 Tbs olive oil
  • 3 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth or both

Instructions for Soup

  1. Simmer the vegetables in the olive oil on med high for 10 minutes
  2. then add broth and herbs and simmer on medium low for 20 minutes
  3. Use a stand blender or immersion blend the soup till smooth

 

Here's how to make this pasta recipe. The most important step (that's easy to overlook) is to not drain the pasta water, spoon the pasta out of the pot into the pan where the sauce goes.

  1. Heat oven to 400. Cut the butternut squash into small ½-1 inch chunks. Drizzle with olive oil and add ½ tsp salt. Stir to combine. Place on baking sheet and roast, stirring every 10 minutes. It is done when it's soft and a fork pierces through it smoothly~ about 25 minutes.
  2. Cook pancetta over medium-high heat.
  3. Heat a large pot of salted water over high heat on the stovetop and cook the pasta according to package directions. 
  4. Heat half the butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet until it has browned (3 to 5 minutes). 
  5. Do NOT DRAIN pasta. Ladle it out with a pasta fork or slotted and spoon into skillet or pan used for making the sauce. 
  6. Add ¾ of the cooked butternut squash, reserved pasta water and butternut squash soup.
  7. Add the rest of the butternut squash to the pasta along with 3 tablespoons of Fireworks Butternut Sage butter. Then pour the blended squash soup (if you are reusing the soup, make sure it is reheated before mixing with the pasta) into the pot as well as the remaining salt and pepper. Stir to combine. 
  8. Add a handful of parmesan to the pasta and stir, then repeat with the rest of the cheese, reserving a tablespoon for garnish if you’d like. 
  9. Heat the remaining tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat in the skillet and toast the garlic and panko breadcrumbs until they are golden brown. 
  10. Serve the pasta topped with toasted panko and any reserved parmesan. 

If you are saving this pasta in the refrigerator and reheating it, add a tablespoon of water to it to loosen the sauce. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 

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