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Recipe Card
ingredients
- 1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes
- 1 pound peeled butternut squash, cut into 1" cubes
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- Black pepper, to taste
- 5 tablespoons olive oil,
- 1 pound Colavita Penne Rigate
- 2 cups (from about 1/2 bunch) Swiss chard or lacinato kale, sliced into 1/2" wide ribbons
- 1 small bunch fresh sage
- 3 ounces tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons vodka
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Method
Step 1
Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
Step 2
Toss onion, tomatoes, butternut squash, and garlic on a baking sheet with 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt, and black pepper to taste. Cook until squash is fork-tender, about 25 minutes.
Step 3
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then cook Colavita Penne Rigate until al dente, about 8 minutes. Stir Swiss chard or kale into the pot for the last 2 minutes of cooking. Reserve 2/3 cup pasta water, then drain and set aside. Wipe out pot and return to stove.
Step 4
Heat remaining olive oil in the pot over medium-low heat. Add sage leaves and fry until crisp, about 2 minutes. Set aside on a paper towel-lined plate. Remove pot from heat and let cool for a minute or two, then proceed to the next step (this prevents the tomato paste from sputtering too much in the hot oil!)
Step 5
Add tomato paste to the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until caramelized and a shade darker, about 4 minutes. Add reserved pasta water and vodka and stir until well combined. Cook for 5 minutes to burn off the alcohol. Add the squash and tomato mixture and heavy cream to the pot and stir to combine.
Step 6
Carefully blend sauce with an immersion blender or a high-speed blender until smooth. Taste and season with salt and a pinch of sugar if necessary. Reserve 2 cups sauce for serving or freeze in an air-tight container for another use.
Step 7
Toss pasta with sauce and half the parmesan cheese, then serve into bowls and top with fried sage leaves and a sprinkle of remaining parmesan.