Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash, Pancetta & Goat Cheese

I love this dinner for many reasons.  First, this pasta dinner is so simple to put together on the weekday and the cooking time is less than an hour and most of that time is just waiting for the butternut squash and onions to roast.  I adapted this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis by adding pancetta which Lucas and I love and most of the times we leave out the walnuts.  You really can do this recipe with so many different pastas and different vegetables which is why I love it so much.  I was so excited about this dinner that I forgot to take a “before” picture of all the ingredients!

• Vegetable Oil Cooking Spray
• 1 2-Pound Butternut Squash, Peeled, Seeded and Cut into 3/4-Inch Cubes
• 1 Onion, Diced into 1/2-Inch Pieces
• Olive Oil, for Drizzling
• Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1 Pound Penne Pasta
• 8 Ounces Goat Cheese, Crumbled
• 1 cup Toasted Walnuts, Coarsely Chopped
• 1 Cup Fresh Basil Leaves, Chopped
• 1/3 Cup Finely Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 Package Pancetta, Sliced

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and put on oven rack in the upper third of the oven.  Spray a baking sheet, liberally, with vegetable oil cooking spray and set aside.  Mix the squash and onion together and arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Bake for to 40 to 45 minutes until the vegetables are golden and cooked through.  Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.  While the squash mixture is cooling, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.  Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Drain and reserve about 2 cups of the pasta water.  While pasta is cooking, cook pancetta until crispy and set aside to cool.  Put the pasta, goat cheese and 1 cup of pasta water in a large serving bowl.  Toss until the cheese has melted and forms a creamy sauce.  Add the squash and onion mixture, pancetta, the walnuts and the basil.  Toss well and season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Garnish with parmesan cheese and serve.

*Recipe Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis*