Pasta Zucca e Gorgonzola

• 100 g pasta
• 400 g butternut squash, peeled, deseeded, and cut into 1 cm cubes
• 40 g gorgonzola dolce
• 6 sage, pretty leaves
• sage, whole sprigs
• olive oil
• salt
• pasta water, to taste
• gorgonzola dolce

Preparation

1. Step 1

   0:09
   Heat a pan over medium-low heat. Add olive oil to fully coat the bottom of the pan. Add 6-8 pretty sage leaves. Fry until they stop bubbling, then remove and set aside. They will darken slightly.
2. Step 2

   0:22
   Increase heat to medium. Add the 1 cm cubed squash to the pan. Season with salt and add a couple of whole sage sprigs. Toss and stir continuously for a few minutes until the edges soften and begin to round.
3. Step 3

   0:46
   Add a splash of water and cover with a lid. Cook for a couple of minutes, then uncover, stir or toss, and repeat the process. After 4-5 more minutes the squash should be completely soft. Test by squashing a piece with a fork. Turn off the heat and remove the sage sprigs.
4. Step 4

   1:04
   Transfer the cooked squash to a blender. Add 40 g gorgonzola dolce. Blend until completely smooth. Taste the sauce base.
5. Step 5

   1:21
   Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a decent amount of salt. Add 100 g pasta (such as fusilli). Cook slightly under the packet al dente time by about 1 minute. Reserve pasta water before draining.
6. Step 6

   1:36
   Return the smooth squash-gorgonzola sauce to the pan over low heat. Add the drained pasta to the pan. Toss to coat, adding reserved pasta water as needed to loosen and achieve the desired sauce consistency. Finish cooking the pasta in the sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
7. Step 7

   1:52
   Plate the pasta. Top with extra pieces of gorgonzola and the reserved fried sage leaves. Serve immediately.