Butternut Squash and Chorizo Farfalle marry the sweet mellow squash with smoky spicy chorizo. Roasted butternut is blended with a splash of stock and a little cream to create a smooth, silky base. Spicy fried chorizo adds contrast with texture, heat and smokiness. Fresh chopped parsley brings in fresh, peppery notes, and a generous sprinkle of grated parmesan brings it to perfection.
The Flavour Affair:
Butternut Squash + Chorizo + Garlic + Parsley + Parmesan
This is a very simple combination that creates a very rounded flavour – sweet, spicy and salty.
Butternut Squash: can be swapped for any sweet type of pumpkin.
Chorizo: hot smoked chorizo adds a fantastic contrast to the unassuming squash. However, if you prefer to keep the heat level down, opt for a mildly spiced chorizo.
Garlic: whole cloves of garlic are lightly smashed and placed over the butternut to infuse it with garlic’s aromatic pungency. You can then blend all or a couple of roasted cloves together with squash.
Parsley: fresh parsley goes amazingly well with both squash and chorizo. It also balances the heaviness of the dish with its freshness.
Parmesan: gives the pasta a classic salty finish.
Preparation tips for Butternut Squash and Chorizo Farfalle:
- If you would like a thicker base, add a tablespoon of ricotta cheese or heavy cream to the blender together with the squash. However, you can skip it to keep the dish dairy-free.
- Cook your pasta a minute short of al dente. Use that minute to then cook pasta with the sauce, so that it takes in all the sauce flavours.
- Always, ALWAYS reserve a cup of starchy pasta water. When you mix pasta with the sauce, it may get dry. This is when pasta water comes to the rescue.
- Don’t get turned off by the roasting times! The squash will roast itself and the dish only requires 25 minutes hands-on to get ready.
Looking for more recipes with chorizo? Try this super quick and comforting Chorizo Stew with Potatoes and White Beans!
Butternut Squash and Chorizo Farfalle
Equipment
- Frying Pan
- Large Pot
- Hand blender
Ingredients
- 250 g dry pasta
- ½ small butternut squash
- 4 Cloves Garlic
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- ⅓ tsp Salt
- 100-50 ml Chicken Stock or Water
- 1 tbsp Ricotta or Double Cream optional
- 200 g Hot Smoked Chorizo
- 2 tbsp Fresh Chopped Parsley
- Grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Brush the butternut with olive oil, season with salt, tuck in garlic cloves and roast at 180C for 35-40 minutes until soft.
- Scoop the flesh out and blend together with stock or water and ricotta or cream, if using, until smooth. Add a couple of garlic cloves (optional).
- While the squash is roasting, cut the chorizo into slices. Heat a large pan to medium and fry the sausage until crispy, then transfer to a plate. It will produce a lot of oil, wipe most of it off the pan or otherwise the sauce will be too greasy.
- Boil pasta to one minute short of al dente and reserve a cup of cooking water.
- Return the squash and chorizo back to the pan and warm through. Taste and adjust for salt.
- Add the pasta, toss to combine and adjust the sauce consistency with the reserved pasta water. Cook for about a minute until the pasta reaches al dente.
- Serve sprinkled with grated parmesan and fresh chopped parsley.
