Flavorful Walnut Sage Pesto Pasta with Roasted Delicata Squash: Your Go-To Vegetarian Fall Dinner
Embrace the cozy flavors of autumn with this incredibly delicious and surprisingly simple vegetarian pasta dish. Featuring hearty whole wheat pasta coated in a vibrant, homemade walnut-sage pesto and topped with sweet, caramelized roasted delicata squash, this recipe is designed to impress without demanding hours in the kitchen. It’s elegant enough for a special occasion yet quick enough for a busy weeknight, making it a truly versatile addition to your fall cooking repertoire.
Prepare to fall in love with your new favorite autumn meal: walnut sage pesto pasta crowned with perfectly roasted delicata squash. This dish brings together the rich, earthy notes of walnuts and sage with the delicate sweetness of squash, creating a harmonious blend of seasonal tastes that will tantalize your palate.
By popular demand, we’re thrilled to reintroduce our Weeknight Wednesday series – a collection of recipes dedicated to making delicious, homemade meals achievable on any busy evening. We briefly touched upon it when we shared this fantastic broiled salmon recipe, and now we’re back with another deceptively simple pasta dish. This recipe is a celebration of fall, packed with the comforting and vibrant flavors we all crave as the days grow shorter and cooler.
At the heart of this creation is whole wheat pasta – feel free to use any shape or size you prefer, from penne to fusilli, as it all gets beautifully coated in our signature pesto. The pasta is generously tossed with our homemade walnut-sage pesto, then garnished with crispy fried sage leaves, and finally, topped with tender, caramelized roasted delicata squash. If you haven’t had the pleasure of cooking with delicata squash before, you’re in for a treat! These small, oblong, yellow-and-green striped beauties are by far one of the most weeknight-friendly winter squash varieties. What makes them so convenient? They require minimal fuss and, crucially, zero peeling! Their skin is wonderfully thin and completely edible when cooked.
This means you can say goodbye to the dreaded ‘oh my god, I’m going to cut my finger off chopping this’ anxiety often associated with preparing tougher winter squashes like butternut or acorn. Delicata squash offers all the rich, comforting flavor without the culinary struggle, making it a true hero in the fall kitchen. Simply slice, roast, and enjoy!
