Winter Linguine with Roasted Cauliflower, Squash, & Kale

5 from 1 vote

Servings

1/4 cup pecans
4-6 ounces whole wheat spaghetti or linguine, (see above for why there's a range)
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, , or unsalted butter
1 pound (about 3/4 pound once seeds removed and cut up) winter squash (butternut, kuri squash, honeynut), diced into 1/4'' cubes (make it small!!)
6-8 ounces (1/2 small) cauliflower, , cut into small florets (make it small!)
2 ounces lacinato kale, , cut into ribbons
1/4 cup freshly shaved parmesan
optional: 2 links chicken sausage, , cut into slices

Note: Toasting the pecans can be done ahead of time and highly recommend doing a bigger batch to use for other dishes too.
Preheat oven to 375. Place pecans on a baking sheet. Bake until fragrant, about 7 minutes.
Let cool slightly before crumbling. You can use a knife or put in a ziploc bag and crush with rolling pin. Set aside.

Cook pasta according to directions. I've found that if I start sauteing the vegetables at the same time I begin this process (of bringing a medium pot of water to boil and then boiling the pasta- takes about 20 minutes), the timing works perfectly.
Once pasta is cooked, vegetables should hopefully be done. I like to just use tongs to directly place the pasta into the vegetables- I don't worry if a bit of water comes with the pasta because it keeps everything from drying out.

Note: You can also roast the vegetables if you prefer a more hands-off approach, but I liked the idea of keeping everything to the stovetop for this part of the recipe. Roasting will also probably take about 5-10 minute longer.
In a large saute pan, add a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil (1-2 tablespoons; enough to fully coat the bottom). Add in squash and cauliflower. Season and saute over medium heat, occasionally stirring. About 5 minute in, once the squash and cauliflower have browned a bit, add the kale. Continue to saute for about 20-25 minutes while the pasta is being prepared.
Note: It is really important that both are cut into quite small pieces because it speeds up the cooking time. If you have large chunks of squash and cauliflower, it will take significantly longer to cook and the chance of the inside not being fully cooked is higher.
Toss together pasta and vegetables all together. Sprinkle on freshly grated parmesan and pecan breadcrumbs and serve.

5 from 1 vote

Tried this recipe?Mention @Kate_Cooks_ or tag #katecooks!