Kismet
10-19-2005, 10:11 AM
I believe this has been discussed elsewhere, but I thought it was good enough for a thread of its own! :)
I made this for a lovely dinner last night. It came together quicker than I had anticipated, and the flavors were wonderful. The herby pesto balanced with the sweet richness of the squash and the peppery greens. I was a bit skeptical as I was making it because the pesto seemed way too thin, but it worked out fine. I especially loved the addition of sage to the pesto - a perfect compliment to the squash.
I made a couple of small changes to the dish. Lately, my shallots have been overpoweringly strong, so instead of putting them in raw, I quartered them and roasted them with the squash. They weren't completely soft after 20 minutes, but their flavor was much milder than raw. I also used whole wheat rigitoni instead of cavatappi, and that worked well.
Cavatappi Pasta Salad with Walnut-Sage Pesto
The flavorful pesto clings to the corkscrew-shaped pasta. Any small pasta, such as farfalle, penne, or seashell, would also work well. The pesto sauce darkens upon standing, so try to serve the salad shortly after tossing the ingredients.
2 1/2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
Cooking spray
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
1/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
3 cups cooked cavatappi pasta (about 6 ounces uncooked)
4 cups torn arugula
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 450°.
Arrange squash in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat squash with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bake at 450° for 20 minutes or until squash is tender, stirring after 10 minutes. Cool squash slightly.
Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, parsley, and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) in a food processor; process until finely chopped, scraping sides. With processor on, slowly pour broth through food chute, processing until well blended.
Combine the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, squash, pasta, and pesto in a large bowl, and toss well to coat. Add arugula, shallots, and pepper; toss to combine. Serve immediately.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 cups)
NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 325(30% from fat); FAT 10.9g (sat 1.4g,mono 5.5g,poly 3.3g); PROTEIN 8.5g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 140mg; SODIUM 493mg; FIBER 5.5g; IRON 2.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 51.8g
Julie Grimes Bottcher
Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2005
I made this for a lovely dinner last night. It came together quicker than I had anticipated, and the flavors were wonderful. The herby pesto balanced with the sweet richness of the squash and the peppery greens. I was a bit skeptical as I was making it because the pesto seemed way too thin, but it worked out fine. I especially loved the addition of sage to the pesto - a perfect compliment to the squash.
I made a couple of small changes to the dish. Lately, my shallots have been overpoweringly strong, so instead of putting them in raw, I quartered them and roasted them with the squash. They weren't completely soft after 20 minutes, but their flavor was much milder than raw. I also used whole wheat rigitoni instead of cavatappi, and that worked well.
Cavatappi Pasta Salad with Walnut-Sage Pesto
The flavorful pesto clings to the corkscrew-shaped pasta. Any small pasta, such as farfalle, penne, or seashell, would also work well. The pesto sauce darkens upon standing, so try to serve the salad shortly after tossing the ingredients.
2 1/2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
Cooking spray
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
1/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
3 cups cooked cavatappi pasta (about 6 ounces uncooked)
4 cups torn arugula
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 450°.
Arrange squash in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat squash with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bake at 450° for 20 minutes or until squash is tender, stirring after 10 minutes. Cool squash slightly.
Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, parsley, and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) in a food processor; process until finely chopped, scraping sides. With processor on, slowly pour broth through food chute, processing until well blended.
Combine the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, squash, pasta, and pesto in a large bowl, and toss well to coat. Add arugula, shallots, and pepper; toss to combine. Serve immediately.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 cups)
NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 325(30% from fat); FAT 10.9g (sat 1.4g,mono 5.5g,poly 3.3g); PROTEIN 8.5g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 140mg; SODIUM 493mg; FIBER 5.5g; IRON 2.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 51.8g
Julie Grimes Bottcher
Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2005