Penne with Butternut Squash and Sage

I was really craving butternut squash and sage the other night and wanted to incorporate those flavors into one well-balanced entree for the sake of quick convenience so of course Martha never lets me down. I saw this recipe on her website and modified it slightly, adding mushrooms because I thought it really deserved mushrooms and a few tablespoons of low fat butter to coat the pasta a bit better. The result: epic tastebud euphoria!! ...or something like that. Anyways, I thought it was really good and perfect for winter. So here ya go!

Penne with Roasted Butternut Squash, Pancetta, and Sage

Ingredients

1 medium (about 2 1/4 pounds) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tbs butter/ margarine

Coarse salt

3/4 pound penne pasta

3 ounces pancetta, sliced 1/4 inch thick and finely chopped

2 shallots, thinly sliced crosswise

1 cup sliced white mushrooms

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

10 fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped or torn

1/2 cup finely grated pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place butternut squash on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil; season with salt. Transfer to oven and roast until squash is browned and tender, about 15 minutes.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Generously salt water and return to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, according to package directions. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Set pasta and reserved cooking liquid aside.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add pancetta and cook until just crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Add shallots, crushed red pepper, mushrooms, sage and butter. Cook until shallots are soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add penne and squash and toss gently, adding reserved pasta cooking liquid as necessary to moisten.

Add cheese and black pepper and cook, tossing gently, until pasta and squash are heated through. Serve immediately with more grated cheese, if desired.

From The Martha Stewart Show, November 2008