This was something that we pieced together both through necessity and through utilizing what was on-hand. It’s squash season, so that helped, and there really isn’t a much more delicious and versatile option in that family than the Delicata. Angel hair was what we had to hand but almost any pasta would work here – especially spaghetti. Allowing the oil/garlic/oregano mixture to marinade a bit before heating it through helps expand the flavor in what is a pretty easy recipe, albeit done in several stages.
For this you’ll need: 1/2 lb pasta (spaghetti, etc), 1/4 cup olive oil (plus some more for coating), x1 garlic clove (peeled, crushed and chopped), 1/2 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper, 3 Tbsp fresh oregano (chopped), x1 medium Delicata squash (cut into quarters, seeds scraped out and cut into 1/4″ thick pieces – leave the skin on), x1 red bell pepper (cut in half with seeds/core removed), 1/4 cup parmesan (grated), salt, pepper.
Combine 1/4 cup olive oil, chopped fresh oregano, chopped garlic, lemon juice and crushed red pepper in a small bowl. Stir well and then set aside for at least 10 mins or an hour or more if you have the time.
Preheat oven to 400.
In a large bowl combine 1/4″ squash slices and the 2 halves of the red bell pepper with a good splash of olive oil and good grindings of salt and pepper. Mix everything together with your hand to make sure everything is covered including both the inside and outside of the peppers. Please in a single layer on a lightly oiled roasting tray (peppers should be skin side up) and place into the oven. Roast until the squash is browning and the skins on the peppers are starting to blister and peel – about 25-30 mins.
Once the peppers have blistered, remove the tray from the oven and let cool so that you can easily peel off and remove the skins by hand. After that, slice the roasted peppers into 1/2″ slices and then cut them in half. Leave the roasted peppers and squash on the tray and set aside.
Meanwhile, partially fill a large pot with water and add some salt. Bring the water to a boil and then cook your pasta, per the instructions, to al dente.
While your pasta is cooking and your veggies are roasting/resting, place a skillet on the stovetop, add the oil/garlic/oregano mix to it and set your heat to a medium flame, in that order. In a few minutes you’ll start to hear the lemon juice start to pop and fizzle first, then the garlic. Stir or swirl the pan a few times as it starts to heat until the whole thing is very fragrant but not yet browning – about 1-2 mins. Remove from heat and set aside.
Once your pasta is cooked, drain it and reserve about 1 cup of the liquid. Place the pasta into a large serving bowl and add the heated oil directly from the pan and the roasted vegetables from the tray (use a rubber spatula on both in order to get all of the oil and juices into the serving bowl). Add the grated parmesan and about 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water and toss, gently but well. If you want your sauce to be a bit more loose, add more pasta water – if you want it to be a bit more tight, add more parmesan.
Serve with crusty bread.
Dinner at Our Place 