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Fall in One Dish: Butternut Squash, Pancetta and Chard Pasta
pancetta
Escarole and White Bean Soup
My sister Elaine was talking about making this soup and bought escarole for it at a farm stand, so I copied her and got a big head. I looked at recipes as I don’t think I ever made this soup…and made a few changes for my own version of this classic fall soup. It is not a complicated recipe, but it has a lot of ingredients. Get the freshest veggies possible and don’t skip anything; it melds together into this incredibly balanced and hearty meal in a big soup dish. Mostly you chop, dump and stir. The delicious lemony taste is quite addictive. It has some pancetta fried to a crisp and sprinkled on top, but you could make it vegetarian by omitting that. I had it with buttered sourdough toast and a lovely beet salad. It’s naturally gf, just check the pancetta for gf labeling. I didn’t miss having a big hunk of protein; the beans and toast were full of plant protein. Great for a meatless supper and you won’t feel cheated or deprived. I think this is my new favorite soup!
Notes: you can use a couple of cans of white beans but honestly it isn’t difficult to cook them yourself and the flavor is much better and so your soup will be much tastier. The red pepper flakes are fully blended in; if you want it spicy add another half or whole teaspoon of it. I think bacon could be a decent substitute for the pancetta. I used some garlic stuffed olives from Aldi’s; they worked perfectly. One medium lemon gave me the zest and enough lemon juice.
I let mine stand 15 minutes before serving and you should definitely do that to allow the flavors to blend and the soup to cool to a reasonable temperature; boiling hot soup is never a good taste!
Escarole and White Bean Soup
Ingredients:
1.5 cups of dry white beans; I used medium size white ones; soak overnight, drain, rinse and cook 1.5-2 hours until soft.
4 oz pancetta
4 Tbsp mild olive oil, divided
1 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup diced celery
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. lemon zest
1/2-1 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 tsp. fresh rosemary minced
1 fresh bay leaf
4 cups vegetable stock; you may need another 1/2-1 cups
1 lg head endive, washed and chopped into 1 inch lengths; I set the thicker bottom stems aside to add first.
1 cup large green olives cut in half (pitted)
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2-1 tsp sea salt, black pepper fresh ground to taste
Finish: EVOL and fresh grated parmesan cheese to top soup
Directions: Pour a half Tbsp. olive oil in a large soup pot; heat, add pancetta and cook until crisp. Fish out with a slotted spoon and set aside for serving with the soup. Then add rest of olive oil to the pot and diced onions. Cook 2 minutes. Add the carrots and celery, cook 4 minutes stirring often, add garlic, stir and cook a minute. Add bay leaf, red pepper flakes and rosemary; cook 1-2 minutes stirring frequently. Add the stock and beans including all bean liquid, let heat a couple of minutes, stir and then add the endive stems, cook a minute. Add rest of endive and heat until almost boiling. Add olives and turn heat down, simmer 6-10 minutes until endive is tender. Add lemon juice, salt and black pepper, stir well and taste. Remove bay leaf. Adjust salt/pepper. Let stand 15-20 minutes for flavors to blend and soup to cool a bit.
Serve in a wide bowl topped with fresh parmesan, a good sprinkle of pancetta and a drizzle of EVOL. Enjoy!
Butternut Squash, Pancetta and Chard Pasta
This colorful pasta dish is pretty healthy and very tasty. Not too tricky either. I have enjoyed it many times in the years. It makes 4 satisfying servings.
It showcases roasted cubes of butternut squash and tender melt-in-your-mouth Swiss chard. My amounts are somewhat approximate. I used gf fettuccine noodles. Don’t overcook them! You could buy pre-peeled and cubed squash to save time. I used some I grew this fall and honestly it didn’t take long to peel and cube it. I suggest you roast the cubes from a whole squash and use as much as you think works for you. Valley Farms has great fresh Swiss chard; that’s where I get mine if I don’t grow it myself. I have made this recipe with thick cut bacon, if that is what you have; go for it. I got a package of chopped pancetta at Giant for a decent price. It will keep a few days in the fridge.
Butternut, Pancetta and Chard Pasta
Ingredients:
1 bunch Swiss chard, I like the red or white stemmed variety, rinsed off
3-4 tbsp. EVOL
1 cup or so of diced red onion; one decent sized one
1 lg garlic clove minced
1 medium butternut squash; peeled, seeded and cubed; at least a pound in weight
4 oz pancetta, diced
10-12 oz dried gf fettucine noodles.
Good quality Parmesan cheese to grate on plated entree
Directions:
Roast the squash; heat the oven to 400 degrees, spray a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray; spread the cubed squash, drizzle with 1-2 Tbsp of EVOL and ½ tsp. kosher or sea salt, bake at 400 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes; turn cubes every 20 minutes with a metal spatula to help them cook evenly, a bit of crunch is nice! Start the rest of the recipe as they approach doneness or bake the squash a day before if that works for you. Have done it both ways. Crunchier if made right before serving
Heat a large pot of salted water for the pasta while you make the chard. Chop it into 1 inch lengths; set the chopped leaves aside separately from the lower stem bits. Heat the EVOL in a large frying pan or smallish wok. Add the stems and cook 2-3 minutes, add garlic, stir, add the onion; cook 3-5 minutes until softening. Add rest of chard in 2-3 handfuls letting it cook down for a minute before stirring and adding the next third. Then push the veggies up the sides or to the edges and add the pancetta. Push the veggies gently back around and over the pancetta. Cook 2-3 minutes until the pancetta is hot and the chard is soft. Meanwhile you have cooked the pasta to al dente. Add it to the pan with the chard, stir, add the roasted squash cubes. Stir. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top; none of that pre-grated crappy cheese please! Enjoy!
Not sure where I found this recipe, but it is a keeper; we generally enjoy it in the fall as chard and squash are fall harvest vegetables.
Butternut Squash, Pancetta and Kale Pasta Toss
This colorful pasta dish is pretty healthy and very tasty. It’s a version of a dish I make with Swiss chard. None of that around so I used fresh kale from my garden and some beet greens for that earthy note that is critical to the flavor. Not a difficult dish either. Have enjoyed the original many times in the past 8-10 years.
It showcases roasted cubes of butternut squash and tender kale as well as beet greens. My amounts are somewhat approximate. It will keep a couple days in the fridge. I used gf fettuccine noodles. Don’t overcook them! You could buy pre-peeled and cubed squash to save time. I used some I grew last fall and honestly it didn’t take long to peel and cube it. I suggest you roast the cubes from a whole squash and use as much as you think works for you. I have made this recipe with thick cut bacon, if that is what you have; go for it. I got a package of chopped pancetta at Aldi’s pretty cheaply and the flavor is awesome.
Butternut, Pancetta and Kale Pasta
Ingredients:
1 small- medium butternut squash; peeled, seeded and cubed; at least a pound
3-4 tbsp. EVOL
1 cup or so of diced red onion; one decent sized one
4 oz pancetta, diced
1 lg garlic clove minced
1 bunch tender young kale, rinsed off
A big handful of beet greens, preferably young tender ones
9-12 oz dried gf fettucine noodles.
Good quality Parmesan cheese to grate into the mixture and some on each plated entree
Directions:
Roast the squash; heat the oven to 400 degrees, spray a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray; spread the cubed squash, drizzle with 1-2 Tbsp of EVOL and ½ tsp. kosher or sea salt, bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 60 minutes; if they are chubby they might take all 60 minutes. Mine this time were fairly skinny so 30 minutes was perfect. Do turn cubes every 15 minutes with a metal spatula to help them cook evenly, a bit of crunch is nice! Start the rest of the recipe as they approach doneness, let them stay warm in the oven with heat off or bake the squash a day before if that works for you. Have done it all three ways. Crunchier if made right before serving.
Heat a large pot of salted water for the pasta while you make the kale. Chop it into 1.5- 2 inch lengths; set the chopped leaves aside separately from the lower stem bits. Heat the EVOL in a large frying pan or smallish wok. Add the pancetta first, cook 2-3 minutes, add the red onion pieces, cook 3-5 minutes until softening. Add the garlic and cook a minute. Add the kale in 2-3 handfuls letting it cook down for a minute before stirring and adding the next third. Add the beet greens with the last third of kale. Cook 2-3 minutes until the beet greens are soft. Meanwhile you have cooked the pasta to al dente. Add it to the pan with the pancetta and veggies, stir, add the roasted squash cubes. Stir gently. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top; none of that pre-grated crappy cheese please! Enjoy!
Not sure where I found this recipe, but it is a keeper; we often enjoy it in the fall as chard and squash are typically fall harvest vegetables.
You could leave out the beet greens if you can’t find them.
Squash, Pancetta and Chard Pasta
This colorful pasta dish is pretty healthy and very tasty. Not too tricky either. Have enjoyed it many times in the past 5-7 years. I actually thought it was on my blog; not so. Hence this post. I made it this week and it made 4 lovely servings.
It showcases roasted cubes of butternut squash and tender melt in your mouth swiss chard. My amounts are somewhat approximate. It will keep a few days in the fridge. I used gf fettuccine noodles. Don’t overcook them! You could buy pre-peeled and cubed squash to save time. I used some I grew last fall and honestly it didn’t take long to peel and cube it. I suggest you roast the cubes from a whole squash and use as much as you think works for you. Valley Farms has great fresh swiss chard; that’s where I get mine if I don’t grow it myself. I have made this recipe with thick cut bacon, if that is what you have; go for it. I got a package of chopped pancetta at Aldi’s pretty cheaply.
Butternut, Pancetta and Chard Pasta
Ingredients:
1 bunch swiss chard, I like the red stemmed variety, rinsed off
3-4 tbsp. EVOL
1 cup or so of diced red onion; one decent sized one
1 lg garlic clove minced
1 small- medium butternut squash; peeled, seeded and cubed; at least a pound
4 oz pancetta, diced
12 oz dried gf fettucine noodles.
Good quality Parmesan cheese to grate on plated entree
Directions:
Roast the squash; heat the oven to 400 degrees, spray a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray; spread the cubed squash, drizzle with 1-2 Tbsp of EVOL and ½ tsp. kosher or sea salt, bake at 400 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes; turn cubes every 15 minutes with a metal spatula to help them cook evenly, a bit of crunch is nice! Start the rest of the recipe as they approach doneness or bake the squash a day before if that works for you. Have done it both ways. Crunchier if made right before serving
Heat a large pot of salted water for the pasta while you make the chard. Chop it into 1 inch lengths; set the chopped leaves aside separately from the lower stem bits. Heat the EVOL in a large frying pan or smallish wok. Add the stems and cook 2-3 minutes, add garlic, stir, add the onion; cook 3-5 minutes until softening. Add rest of chard in 2-3 handfuls letting it cook down for a minute before stirring and adding the next third. Then push the veggies up the sides or to the edges and add the pancetta. Push the veggies gently back around and over the pancetta. Cook 2-3 minutes until the pancetta is hot and the chard is soft. Meanwhile you have cooked the pasta to al dente. Add it to the pan with the chard, stir, add the roasted squash cubes. Stir. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top; none of that pre-grated crappy cheese please! Enjoy!
Not sure where I found this recipe but it is a keeper; we often enjoy it in the fall as chard and squash are fall harvest vegetables.
My World Without Wheat 