Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Pasta

Say whaaaaat? I'm back and I'm here to share with you one of sweet P's favorite dishes. The original recipe calls for a couple extra ingredients (and they definitely do add a little something special) but this slightly adjusted version is still delicious. It's quite mac n cheese-esque with a bit more substance. If you've ever brought home the pre-cut organic butternut squash and/or the goat cheese logs from Costco with the best intentions but realized you had no idea what to do with it/them, this is for you. You can substitute a 2 lb whole butternut squash for the pre-cut package but you won't get any extra credit for peeling and cutting it yourself.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs butternut squash, cubed
• olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 1 lb penne pasta
• 1 cup goat cheese, crumbled
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/3 cup Parmesan

1. Season the squash with salt and pepper and toss in a good amount of olive oil. Roast at 425 degrees F for ~40 minutes* until the pieces are golden and cooked through. Set aside to cool.
2. While the squash is cooling, cook your pasta**. Reserve ~2 cups of the pasta water before draining. You'll need it for the sauce.
3. Put the goat cheese into a large bowl then top with the hot pasta and ~1 cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss until the cheese has melted into a dreamy, creamy sauce. Add the butternut squash, toasted walnuts***, and Parmesan (reserving a little for garnish). Toss well and adjust seasoning if necessary. 
4. Enjoy!

* If you want to keep the squash pieces in tact, be more conservative with the roasting time. If you want the squash to break up and kind of melt into the sauce, let them roast a bit longer but be careful not to burn them. If you do, just add "charred" to the dish name and pretend it was intentional.

** Cook your pasta in salted water according to preference. If you're like me, you'll want it al dente. If you're like my mom, you'll want to cook your noodles until they're a mushy mess. To each her own.

***You can toast the walnuts in the oven at 350 degrees F for ~5 mins or you can also toast them in a dry saute pan over medium heat. Option C is to not toast them at all but toasted nuts are definitely tastier.