Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale

Although we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here in Belgium, I love the idea of it. Getting together with your loved ones and giving thanks for the delicious food that nourishes and energizes your body sounds like a lot of fun! This Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale would make a great dish to take to your next Thanksgiving dinner. It’s packed with flavor and nutrition, easy to make and gorgeous to look at. After all, we eat with our eyes first, right?

Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale

SERVES: 4 people

EQUIPMENT: large skillet, oven, baking tray

INGREDIENTS:

Coconut oil (or olive oil)
1 medium butternut squash, cubed
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped (optional)
4 large handfuls of chopped kale (or spinach, chard, collard greens…)
1 handful of finely chopped sage (or oregano, rosemary…)
1 cup cooked lentils (or chickpeas/beans)
2 bundles of brown rice noodles (+/- 250g = 9oz)
Black pepper & Himalayan crystal salt or sea salt

Pomegranate seeds, spring onion & nutritional yeast (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Put the butternut squash cubes on a baking tray and add a little coconut oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes or longer, until they’re tender.
3. In the meantime, heat some coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook until translucent. Add the chopped kale and sage, and allow to wilt. Finally, add the cooked lentils and stir well. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed, then remove from the heat.
4. Finally, cook your rice noodles until al dente.
5. Serve the rice noodles with the kale, lentils and roasted butternut squash. Garnish with pomegranate seeds, finely sliced spring onion and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast. Finish with a tiny drizzle of olive oil, some sea salt and black pepper to taste.

JULIE’S TIPS & TRICKS:

• This Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale will stay fresh for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• Not a fan of rice noodles? You can replace them with buckwheat noodles, quinoa pasta, or other pasta of your choice. For a lighter version of this dish, you can stir the warm veggies with raw zucchini noodles as well.
• Instead of roasting the butternut squash, you could cook it in the skillet too. Heat some coconut oil in the skillet over medium heat, add the squash with sea salt and black pepper to taste, and a few tablespoons of water. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes until the squash is tender and the water has evaporated. Remove from the skillet, wipe it clean, and then start frying your onion and garlic.

Now I would love to hear from you! What’s your favorite type of pasta? Mac & cheese, basil tomato sauce, spicy arrabbiata, classic bolognaise, creamy pesto…? Definitely let me know by leaving a comment down below.