Nothing says Lent like obsessing about food, right? Here’s last night’s meatless dinner. I adapted it from a recipe in a Williams-Sonoma cookbook called Pasta Sauces. Don’t substitute dried sage for the fresh sage leaves — they are essential to the flavor.
- 12 oz spinach fettucine
- 1 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, in 1/2" dice
- 1 medium thinly sliced onion
- 10 fresh sage leaves
- 6 T unsalted butter
- 1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 c drained canned chickpeas
Melt half the butter over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet. Saute onions gently until very soft and beginning to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Add squash and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes more. About 10 minutes before squash is done, stir in chickpeas. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Meanwhile, boil fettucine in salted water until al dente. Drain, reserving some of the cooking liquid, and transfer pasta to serving bowl.
Melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add sage leaves and fry until crisp, just a few minutes. (It’s okay if the butter browns a little bit.)
Add just enough cooking liquid to the squash mixture to thin it a little, stirring to loosen browned bits from the bottom. Immediately pour over pasta. Add Parmesan cheese and toss to combine. Pour sage leaves and butter over top, toss again, and serve.
We had this with a simple green salad. I’ve been making it for years and it’s one of my favorite non-tomato-based pasta sauces. I don’t know if it beats the parish fish fry, but it’s sure nice.
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