Fall
Orecchiette With Roasted Butternut Squash, Kale, & Caramelized Red Onion
Popular on Food52
56 Reviews
QueenOfGreen
November 6, 2023
Added 4oz pancetta when cooking the 1c of butternut. Which honestly, I’m not understanding the point of that step? Also, recipe calls for 4T olive oil, but there’s only 3T in the instructions. Not sure where I lost the thread. Used the last T of oil to fry the sage leaves to put on top. Despite quirks with the recipe, it was delicious.
magdalena
January 13, 2023
Deeelicious! I made this knowing I was lacking a couple of things and it was still so good! I used broccoli rabe instead of kale, whole milk instead of cream, and a variety of small squashes needing a job. Chef's kiss! Thank you!
Laura S.
October 27, 2020
This was really good - the squash 2 ways is super clever - but I wasn't eating until 9:30 at night, even with every cheat in the book (pre-diced squash, pre-chopped and washed kale, pre-minced garlic). Use these shortcuts!! Also, I way upped the cayenne on the roasted squash and it worked out great, and I say that as a person with very low tolerance for spice. You'll want to add a little bit more kick to balance the sweetness of the onions. The best part about this was the colors - it was beautiful to make and to plate. I'd only try this again to show off at a dinner party though - not as fast as TikTok made it look!
Shirley C.
October 4, 2019
Thought this was absolutely delicious. I substituted spinach for the kale but everything else the same. It did use quite a few cooking pots but I think it was worth it.
NXL
September 27, 2019
The flavors of this dish were okay. The sauce was runny. The number of dirty pans to create one dish was ridiculous. I have made a similar, more flavorful dish in two pots.
AriadneCooks
February 16, 2019
I enjoyed this, but will reduce the broth next time - my sauce was quite loose. I’ll skip boiling the heck out of the kale, too, and just add it before adding the heavy cream. I do wish the recipe specified how much squash to use - 1 pound? 3?
prash.cant.shush
January 28, 2019
I think the pasta cooking step should be after step 4 or 5. It takes 5 min or so for the water to boil (less if you pour the contents of a recently boiled kettle into a pot already heating on the stove) and 10 min or so for the pasta to come to al dente consistency.
Michael G.
December 3, 2018
So I ended up using 12oz of pasta because of the package size, and even though this is a great vegetarian meal I added grilled chicken and it was still amazing
Hollie P.
November 10, 2018
This is a gourmet level pasta dish. Truly fall in a bowl. Make this - you will not regret it!
koc
March 9, 2018
Fantastic! The depth of flavor is amazing. Already looking forward to making it again next week. Thanks!
Alyssa B.
November 3, 2017
90 Minutes from start to finish(ing)...including eating! Upped the cayenne to 1/4 tsp for a bit of a kick. Really enjoyed the squash two ways, but I think next time I might puree the roasted bits for a creamier sauce, and chop the kale finer. I also used a goat cheese with lavender and fennel pollen (Cypress Grove's Purple Haze) which was so yum! I will definitely investigate the walnuts/pine nuts for next time though.
Amanda
October 30, 2017
Loved this! One of the best Food52 recipes that I've done so far, though not a quick one. I agree with the other comments that walnuts would be a great addition and I used a couple extra dashes of cayenne to top it off, which was excellent!
erin
January 18, 2017
Made this tonight and it was excellent. I realized too late we were out of leafy greens but carried on regardless and didn't miss them (though next time I'll certainly add them). The magic is in cooking the squash two different ways, so don't skip that - it adds nothing to the overall time, and you get the sauce that binds everything together as well as the texture and caramelized flavor of the baked pieces. Having neither stock, wine nor cream I just used water plus a bay leaf for the squash on the stovetop, then stirred in a spoonful of requeijao creamoso (a Brazilian cream cheese) at the end to emulsify. We had some walnuts, as several people recommended, and I think it needed that crunch. Pine nuts would work too. Highly recommended. Oh, and we ate all of it between the two of us!
Jane
October 12, 2016
Yum! Made this last night but swapped regular pasta for bean pasta. I used Modern Table's lentil pasta. I also sautéed some leftover squash in some olive oil and truffle salt. Simple but delicious!
Michele
September 23, 2016
I did not think this recipe was worth the effort. Total time was 90 minutes including peeling the squash and the step of sauteeing the squash with squash was too labor intensive. I've made similar recipe where the kale was added to roasting pan with squash, then squash and kale were mixed with heavy cream, parmesan and farfalle right before serving (sans carmelized onions). The dish was essentially the same with less work.
Shortrib
March 29, 2016
Outstanding! This looked a bit fussy to me but actually came together quite quickly once butternut is roasted & onions caramelized. Depth of flavour is excellent. A wonderful surprise and perfect for a fall dinner... I made it with fusilli.
charliebarlie
October 20, 2015
I finished eating this 5 minutes ago and I just had to write a comment to rave about how great it was!! I only had a small amount of squash left so I roasted that and substituted the baked squash by baked mushrooms. It was absolutely delicious!! It's a great vegetarian dish too because you don't even notice there's no meat or fish in it!
Emily L.
October 12, 2015
I made this last night and it was so delicious! the roasted squash is amazing with the nutmeg and cayenne combo, I would probably do all of it like that next time :) I did substitute a coconut milk/almond milk vegan cheese a la Food 52's Vegan cookbook instead of the heavy cream and it was perfect!
Stephanie
September 4, 2015
This is so good even without the addition of goat cheese. Next time I'll sprinkle with toasted walnuts in addition to the grated grana padano. Perfect fall dish!
Theris W.
January 11, 2015
I really would like to try this recipe, but I'm a newly diagnosed diabetic, the heavy cream and wine are a concern for me. What would you suggest I substitute it with. Thanks Theris
Plum P.
January 13, 2015
Hi Theris! You could definitely leave out the wine and maybe add a little more chicken broth. I have tried this with greek yogurt instead of heavy cream and it is really good. Or just leave it out altogether. I'm sure it would still taste great without. I hope you enjoy it!
Ilianna P.
January 8, 2015
This was so delicious! Although when served it did not look as presentable as the photo. My friends and family truly enjoyed this recipe.
Lkw1080
January 3, 2015
What a delicious recipe! The use of the cayenne pepper provided a great contrast to the sweet butternut squash! I used more than a pinch and it provided perfect heat!
pennyolsen
December 30, 2014
Making this twice in one week....changed it though. Vegetable broth and used power greens....added at the end when mixed with broth over Light Rotini. YUM Delish!
Ida-Maria S.
November 23, 2014
Made this a couple of days ago and it was so tasty. The flavour of the sage went really well with the butternut squash (I used a little more than was called for). I'll be making this again!
Sue K.
November 22, 2014
Mine is looking a lot saucier w/the cream added, but it's not put together yet. A few substitutions based on available ingredients. Using collard greens since market was out of kale, mead instead of white wine and a loca garlic marinated feta cheese. Should be very flavorful meatless supper! Awesome!
Dave M.
November 19, 2014
Has anyone tried adding bacon or pork sausage?
Plum P.
November 19, 2014
It looks like someone below tried bacon with success and I bet sausage would be delicious. I might try that addition actually! :)
Dave M.
November 22, 2014
We used pancetta, which I rendered then added the onions to the pan. Delicious and definitely a keeper!
Traci D.
November 10, 2014
Just made this and WOW, was it great! Had to substitute pumpkin and a sweet potato for the butternut squash, and bok choy for the kale (couldn't find either in my local market here in Lausanne), but it was still great! Adding goat cheese was an inspiration. This dish had TONS of flavor. Will definitely make again.
Amanda
November 9, 2014
Made this tonight for dinner without the goat cheese and it was SO delicious! An absolute hit in my house. Even my two year old gobbled up every last bite!
Amanda W.
November 6, 2014
because I like to trash things up, I added in some rendered bacon and dried cranberries to the caramelized onion, and this was out of control amazing.
tota
November 6, 2014
Can this be done without the heavy cream? Thats just something we really try to avoid.....how about greek yogurt in place of?
Plum P.
November 10, 2014
Hi tota! Yes, I'm sure greek yogurt would be great. I often substitute it for heavy cream in recipes. I haven't tried it in this one but I'm sure it would be great. I would add it off the heat. Let me know how it turns out!
Kara S.
November 6, 2014
Made it and loved it! It did take me quite a while (1.5 hrs) but I think that's just me being slow. the sauce was outstanding, and the goat cheese is a must.
chris
November 6, 2014
Tavola in Charlottesville (really Belmont)'s version is heaven, but I agree that a little less heavy cream would temp me to order it again.
Kibbie
November 6, 2014
Can you give an estimate of how many cups of squash this might be? I prefer to buy cut butternut squash.
Plum P.
November 10, 2014
I think you would probably need about 3-4 cups of butternut squash. I love it so I tend to go towards more squash but you can adjust to your taste! I hope you like it!
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