I am not a PSL fangirl, but I do love Fall cooking, especially with all the yummy autumn squashes.  And the thought of combining squash flavors with pasta so that my boys might actually eat it was a challenge I was willing to take.  This recipe did not take long, was not difficult, and was a huge hit.  I added some extra red pepper flakes to give it a kick so that the guys would like it and it worked - my older son loved it!  I’ve been asked to add it to our regular rotation of dinners. In our house, that is high praise.  So this one was a definite win for the Delaney Test Kitchen. Enjoy!

​​Butternut Squash Pasta with Bacon and Parmesan

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
•  Pinch of red-pepper flakes
•  Kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 medium red onion, cut into 1-inch dice
• 5 slices thick-cut bacon (about 5 ounces)
• 12 ounces short, twisty pasta, like campanelle or cavatappi
• ¾ cup finely grated Parmesan (about 1 1/2 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

PREPARATION:

1. Set a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 375 degrees.
2. Add the butternut squash to a large baking sheet. Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil over the top and season with red-pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Toss to combine, then spread the squash into an even layer and bake for 15 minutes.
3. While the butternut squash bakes, in a small bowl, toss the red onion with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.
4. After the squash has cooked for 15 minutes, give it a stir and push it to one side of the baking sheet to make room for the onion and bacon, trying to keep the squash in one layer. Add the red onion to the pan, then lay the strips of bacon in a single layer next to the onion.
5. Return the baking sheet to the oven for another 30 minutes and cook, stirring the squash and onion after about 15 minute. The bacon should be crisp and the vegetables cooked through and beginning to caramelize at the edges. (They don’t have to be super golden brown, but a little color is nice.)
6. Just before the vegetables and bacon are done, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot to keep warm if necessary.
7. When the vegetables are tender and the bacon crispy, take the baking sheet out of the oven and carefully transfer the bacon to a cutting board. Coarsely chop the bacon.
8. Add the butternut squash, onions and any bacon fat to the pot with the pasta. Add about 1/2 cup Parmesan and 1/2 cup pasta water to the pot and stir everything until well combined. You want the squash to break down a bit and coat the pasta; add more pasta water as necessary to coat the pasta with the squash and cheese.
9. Stir in half the chopped bacon, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the pasta among bowls or plates. Top with chives, parsley, black pepper and the remaining Parmesan and bacon. Serve immediately.

So there are a few recipes circulating around on Tiki Tok and social, and I've tried a few of them with mixed results. But this one looked easy and the reviews were all solid so I tried it in the Delaney Test Kitchen.  And my family LOVED it.  They even asked that it be added into the regular rotation.  Its definitely worth a try - I hope you love it, too. And thanks for sharing, Gigi!




 
Gigi Hadid's Spicy Vodka Pasta Sauce

INGREDIENTS:
 ¼ c olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 shallot
1T fresh Basil
1 small can of tomato paste
1T vodka
½ c heavy cream
½ c grated parmesan separated (1/4 for recipe and ¼ for topping)
1 t Chili flakes (I recommend closer to 1 T)
1T butter
16 oz pasta (I recommend Rotini)
Salt & pepper to taste
 
 
PREPARATION:
 
1.  Dice the garlic and shallot.
 
2.  Heat ¼ c of olive oil in a large saucepan, add the shallot and garlic, and cook until soft (2-3 mi nutes).
 
3.  Add the tomato paste and cook until the sauce is a bit darker and carmelized

4.  Add 1 tablespoon vodka and cook until it almost evaporates. (You can also skip the vodka altogether if you prefer.)  

5.  Add 1/2 cup heavy cream and chili flakes (1t, or more if you like it hotter). Keep stirring until the sauce is combined.  Season with salt & pepper to taste. Remove the sauce form the heat.  

6.  Cook the pasta according to directions on the box.  Before draining it, save 1/4 cup or more of the pasta water.  

7.  Add the cooked (& drained) pasta, the 1/4 cup reserved pasta water, and 1 tablespoon butter to the red sauce in the large saucepan. Stir over medium heat till the butter has melted and the sauce looks done. (note:  if your sauce is too thick or simply not saucy enough, slowly add the additional pasta water you put aside earlier until it reaches your desired consistency.)
 
8.  Add  ¼ c Parmesan Cheese and stir.
 
9:  Serve Topped with Parmesan Cheese and Chopped Basil.

I love that the story behind this recipe is that its pasta you can easily make in the middle of the night with just a few pantry staples.  With a teenaged boy in the house, he makes a fifth meal every night at 11:30pm or 12am.  This is another option for him, and for the family.
 
This recipe from New York Times Cooking does seem a little bit more complicated since it requires roasting the garlic ahead of time.  For me, I put the garlic in the oven while I worked out, and then made dinner an hour later and it was perfect. You can always make a lot of roasted garlic at once and save it for up to 2 weeks in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer.  Then it truly can be a Midnight Pasta.
 
For the record – this was also a hit.  I served some non-chile pasta to my 11 year old, but the rest of us enjoyed the spicy recipe as is. Yum!
 
Midnight Pasta with Roasted Garlic, Olive Oil and Chile

INGREDIENTS:
 
·                1 large head of garlic
·                 Kosher salt
·                ½ cup plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
·                1 cup firmly packed parsley leaves
·                1 pound spaghetti or other long pasta
·                ½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more for garnish
·                 Black pepper
·                 Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving
 
 
PREPARATION:
 
Step 1:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Cut off the top 1/4 inch of the head of garlic to expose the top of the cloves, then place on a piece of foil, cut-side up. 
• Sprinkle exposed cloves with salt, then drizzle with 1 teaspoon oil.
• Wrap the garlic in the foil and roast until soft and golden brown, 40 to 50 minutes.

 
Step 2:

• When you’re ready to make the pasta, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Finely chop the parsley leaves.
• Add pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package instructions until al dente.
• Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta.

 
Step 3:

• While the pasta cooks, in a large Dutch oven or skillet, heat the remaining 1/2 cup oil over medium heat. 
• Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves into the oil and cook, breaking them up with your spoon, until very fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the red-pepper flakes and a few generous grinds of pepper.
• Remove the pan from the heat to infuse the oil while the pasta finishes cooking.

 
Step 4:

• When the pasta’s done, heat the garlic oil over medium, then add the cooked pasta, 1/2 cup reserved pasta water and the parsley, and simmer, tossing constantly and adding more pasta water as needed, until the pasta is glossed with sauce.

 
Step 5:

• Serve with more red-pepper flakes, black pepper and Parmesan.

This is a recipe that my son has told me is the closest thing to authentic Mexican food he's tasted that I have ever made.  I also made this over the summer when we had 7 17y-olds to feed, and they ate.it.all.  Then the moms started asking me for the recipe.  So this is for them :-).

This recipe is easy to double for when the whole family is home or friends are over.  For those of you feeding teenage boys - just go ahead and double it.

​ 
Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas

INGREDIENTS:
8 oz  pulled chicken (cooked) (I get some at our local BBQ place and freeze it for this, or you can use a rotisserie chicken) 

Filling:
3 T cream cheese
6oz  tomato paste (small can)
2 tsp garlic / 4 tsp if
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
 
3 T cilantro
4 ea 10” flour tortillas
1 ½ c shredded mozzarella
¼ c red onion
⅓ c sour cream
 
1. Prepare the Chicken: Defrost the chicken if necessary, and then roughly chop the pulled chicken.
 
Here you have two choices – you can get a rotisserie chicken and pull off the meat, get some pulled chicken from your favorite BBQ place, or I keep packages of it in the freezer to defrost as needed.

2. Start the Filling: Mix together all of the Filling ingredients into a medium sized bowl.
Chop the cilantro and add half to the mixture.
Then add in the roughly chopped chicken, and mix well.

3. Cook the quesadillas: Heat one Tbsp of oil over medium heat.
Place one tortilla in the pan, cover with filling and mozzarella cheese to taste.
Then top with another tortilla.
 
You’ll want to cook them for 3-4 minutes per side, until the tortilla is golden & the cheese is melted.
 
Repeat the process to make additional quesadillas, adding more oil to the pan as necessary.
Place the quesadilla on a plate and cut into 4-6 wedges, using a pizza cutter.  

Serve with a dollop of sour cream an a sprinkle of some of the remaining cilantro, and some salsa.
Our favorite salsa is from Zocalo here in Atlanta
 
Enjoy!