Summer Squash Pancetta Pasta with Brie and Broccoli Rabe
It’s the beginning of July, the sun is shining, and everyone is in the mood for some delicious food. Although it is National Grilling Month, we are going to take a step away from the grill and move back into the air-conditioned kitchen. In honor of National Macaroni Day on July 7, we are going to start the month off with a full-bodied pasta recipe that is the perfect comfort meal to eat while soaking up the sun. Grab your sunglasses and a chilled glass of Chardonnay and get ready to make our Summer Squash Pancetta Pasta with Brie and Broccoli Rabe.
What You Need for the Summer Squash Pasta
This recipe comes together simply with very few ingredients. As always, you can use any pasta you like, but we do recommend a shorter pasta for this recipe. We believe orecchiette is the optimal macaroni choice, but if you’re feeling wild go right ahead and experiment with another shape. While not technically a summer squash, we use butternut squash as it creates a creamier and more cohesive dish. However, if you prefer something lighter and reflective of a literal summer squash, feel free to use zucchini. If you are making this recipe in the fall or winter months, you can also use a cheese pumpkin rather than butternut squash. In that scenario, we would recommend also adding toasted pumpkin seeds to the dish. Finally, we use broccoli rabe as the greenery in this dish as we prefer the taste and consistency. Some other alternatives you could use instead are broccolini, spinach, escarole, and turnip greens. We chose pancetta for the meat, but you can use bacon, prosciutto, or even sausage if you prefer. Other than that, all you need is your trusty Brie cheese and Parmigiana Reggiano and you are ready to go.
Summer Squash Pancetta Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 cups butternut squash peeled and diced
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- ½ bunch broccoli rabe tough lower stems removed, cut into thirds
- ¾ cup pancetta cut into ½ inch dice
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 box orecchiette
- ½ cup parmigiano reggiano grated, plus more for topping
- 1 wheel brie cheese diced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°. Toss the butternut squash with olive oil and salt and transfer to a sheet tray. Bake for about 20 minutes or until squash has softened. Remove and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Place a large bowl of salted ice water aside. Drop the broccoli rabe into the boiling water, stir it around and transfer immediately into the ice water bath. Set the boiling water aside.
- Remove all broccoli rabe from the ice water, squeeze out all water, and set aside.
- In a large sauté pan, add olive oil, diced pancetta, and red pepper flakes. Bring ingredients to medium heat and cook until the pancetta browns. Add the squash and 3/4 cup of the reserved water. Simmer on low until the water reduces by half, around 2 minutes.
- Pour the orecchiette in the remaining broccoli rabe water and cook the pasta until it becomes al dente. Strain pasta and add to the sauté pan
- Add cubed brie, remaining broccoli rabe, and 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Let cook until the water reduces again forming a thicker sauce, about 1 minute. Drizzle with olive oil and add grated cheese. Toss until well combined.
Pasta Wrap up
Voila! We hope you enjoyed this recipe and found it just as easy to make as we did. Let us know if you made any variations and how they came out. If you are looking for a cocktail to pair with this, check out our Spring Sangria or our Arnold Palmer Margarita. If you’re looking for other macaroni inspiration, check out our other pasta recipes:
Baked Brie Macaroni and Cheese
Tomato Brie Summer Penne Pasta
Oven-Roasted Brie Tomato Pasta
Baked Brie Mac and Cheese with Prosciutto
Creamy Alfredo Impasta with Brie and Basil
Bacon and Brie Linguini with Basil
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