In our household we relish in leftovers each week, something to be very grateful of and most likely to continue until we’re feeding for more than two of us. A few of our most popular leftovers are half a butternut squash and the remainder of a bunch of sage leaves. After cooking a batch of the traditional, classic butternut squash and sage risotto we always find ourselves with these two by the end of the week. Usually i would chop up the leftover butternut and pop it in a tupperware to defrost into soup but as it was Sunday, and funds were tight i decided to make something tasty with these and things we had left lying around in the fridge. I’m sure any food blogger would tell you, that it’s times like these where you get the most inspiration to write a recipe, it’s the equivalent of the mystery box challenge in Masterchef; especially with it being a Sunday too, i had to somewhat impress.
A few weeks back, Heinz sent me a wonderful array of their gluten free pasta range to try, we’ve tried the sauces numerous times with the pasta before- and i’ve expressed on my social media how much i love the convenience of these little boxes of joy- they are great for travelling with and quickly heating up for lunch with rice or pasta in the office. Their pasta is most definitely one of the more impressive gluten free pastas on the free-from market, on giving my dad a bag of penne, he responded with the typical ‘what’s this, gluten free, uhm?’ response, but after a day or two i get a follow up note saying how ‘it just tastes like normal pasta’. Yes. Yes it does father.
It’s definitely something that’s become more successful over time, i remember when gluten free pasta would just fall apart completely. There are still a few issues with gluten free pasta clumping together, particularly after it’s cooled but it’s something i’ve certainly learnt to deal with easy enough.
The Heinz gluten free pasta range features the comfort food favourite- macaroni, penne and spaghetti. All of which i have made successful dishes with. You can see some of the Heinz recommended recipes to try on their You Tube channel, which is great for anyone wanting some quick recipes to try with the sauces. I’ve found the penne to be my favourite but i feel this is more due to my childhood – loving the shape of penne to encase and slurp up every bit of the sauce with. The best is when a bit of bacon gets stuck inside, it’s like you’ve struck gold.
A pasta bake is a favourite with everyone, quite a simple recipe for a blog post really but this one whizzes up a butternut squash into a sauce which really does make it feel all kinds of special. A great cheap alternative for a wintery Sunday lunch.
Gluten Free Butternut Squash, Sage and Pancetta
Pasta Bake.
Serves 4.
You’ll need…
A large deep baking dish.
Half a butternut squash peeled and diced
Olive oil
1 white onion
Bunch of roughly chopped Sage leaves
Penne or Macaroni (enough for 4)
20g of Butter
100g Pancetta
100g Mozzarella
50g Parmesan
S + P
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.
Put the chopped butternut squash into a saucepan of water and onto the boil.
In a saucepan fry the sage leaves, onion and pancetta with a drizzle of olive oil and any other seasonings you desire. When crispy, set aside.
Drain the soft butternut squash and transfer to a food processor and add in half a small cup of water and the butter with some salt and pepper. Whizz until smooth, you may want to add more water or butter to achieve the smooth silky sauce.
Pop the pasta onto cook.
Transfer the crispy sage, pancetta and onion into the butternut squash sauce and add in half of the parmesan. Season for taste and set aside.
Drain the cooked pasta and pour into the butternut squash sauce and stir well, making sure all pasta is coated.
Transfer the saucy pasta to a deep baking dish, and top generously with the remaining parmesan and mozzarella. Garnish with some sage leaves and a drizzle of olive oil and pop in the oven for 20 minutes until a cheesy, golden, irresistible top has formed.
Serve immediately, but careful not to burn your tongue 😉
To read more about the Heinz gluten free range pop on over to their website.
