With the sweetness of the roasted squash and cherry tomatoes, the saltiness of the homemade pesto and a good squeeze of fresh lemon, this is the perfect autumnal pasta recipe. The creamy crème fraîche sauce brings all the flavours in this dish together and is given a really lovely layer of texture from the walnutty pesto. Stirred through with peppery rocket, served in deep bowls and topped with cheese - it’s a guaranteed crowd pleaser.
The quantities provided above are averages only.
Boxes and ingredients are packed in facilities that handles Peanut, Nuts, Sesame, Fish, Crustaceans, Milk, Egg, Mustard, Celery, Soya, Gluten and Sulphites. Due to the war in Ukraine, it has been necessary to substitute sunflower oil with rapeseed oil in some products without a label change. The FSA have advised that allergic reactions to rapeseed oil are rare.
200
Diced Butternut Squash
160
Fusilli
(Contains Cereals containing gluten)
6
Red Wine Vinegar
(Contains Sulphites)
200
Cherry Plum Tomatoes
1
Chives
1
Onion
1
Garlic Clove
½
Lemon
20
Hazelnuts
(Contains Nuts May contain Nuts)
20
Wild Rocket
12
Basil
75
Creme Fraiche
(Contains Milk)
40
Grated Hard Italian Style Cheese
(Contains Milk, Egg)
2
Olive Oil
¼
Sugar
1
Water
Preheat your oven to 180°C. Pop the butternut squash on a lined baking tray and drizzle with oil, salt and pepper. Toss to coat, spread out and roast on the top shelf of your oven, 30-35 mins. Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes in half and pop into a small bowl. Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press). Stir into the tomatoes along with the red wine vinegar, sugar (if using), a pinch of salt and pepper and a drizzle of oil. Set aside.
When the butternut squash has been in the oven for 10 mins, remove the tray from the oven. Give the squash a good toss and push it to one side of the tray. Pop the tomatoes on the other side of the tray. Return to the oven to cook for the remaining 20-25 mins, until the squash is golden and tomatoes are beginning to colour and burst.
In the meantime, heat a generous splash of oil in small frying pan over medium-low heat. Halve, peel and thinly slice the onion and add to the pan with a pinch of salt. Slowly cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until soft and beginning to colour, 8-10 mins. While the onion is cooking, make the pesto and pop your kettle on to boil for the pasta.
Pick the basil leaves from their stalks and finely chop (discard the stalks). Finely chop the chives and the walnuts. Zest the lemon then cut in half. In a small bowl, mix together the basil, chives, walnuts, three-quarters of the cheese, half the lemon zest, the olive oil and water (see ingredients for amount). Season to taste with a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Pour the water from the kettle into a large saucepan. Bring back to the boil and add a pinch of salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, around 9 mins. TIP: ‘Al dente’ simply means the pasta is cooked through but has a tiny bit of firmness left in the middle. Once cooked, drain in a colander. Return to the pan (off the heat) and drizzle with a little oil to stop it sticking.
Once everything is cooked, stir the pesto, onion and crème fraîche into the pasta. Gently mix in the roasted tomatoes, butternut squash and any roasting juices from the pan. Season to taste with more lemon juice, salt and pepper if needed. Finally, stir in the rocket leaves. Divide between your plates and sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Enjoy!