This soul-satisfying pasta dish uses many of the best flavors of winter. It’s inspired by a dish my youngest daughter Tessa remembers as one of her favorites from four years at Notre Dame, specifically from a restaurant called Greenfields, where she worked.
1 butternut squash
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
Creole seasoning to taste
1 (14-ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 packed cup baby kale leaves
1 cup cubed cooked turkey breast
2 cups cooked penne pasta
½ cup pecan pieces
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the hard outer skin of the butternut squash and cut enough of the orange flesh into bite-sized cubes to fill 1 cup. Slice or roughly chop the remaining squash and place in a roasting pan. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the butter in a separate pan. Sauté the cubed squash until caramelized. Remove cubes from pan, set aside and sauté the celery, carrot and onion in the same pan until all are caramelized, then pour atop the larger pieces of squash.
Place roasting pan in the oven until squash is cooked through and golden, about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and puree vegetable mixture until smooth, adding chicken broth and milk as needed. Season with garlic powder, onion powder and Creole seasoning, essentially making butternut squash soup. You will have several servings of soup left over.
Heat canned cranberry sauce in a pot until it liquefies, then strain out the whole berries, collecting the red liquid in a bowl underneath. Heat the remaining olive oil in a pan and briefly sauté the kale until softened and dark green. Add the cubes of turkey and toss to heat through, followed by the cooked penne and caramelized squash cubes. Spoon in soup and fold gently until pasta is thoroughly coated. When heated through, add the reserved cranberries and pecans, tossing to incorporate. Serve hot on dinner plates. Drizzle with cranberry liquid and additional pecan pieces. Serves 4-6.
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