Rigatoni with Pesto and Roasted Butternut Squash

Today was a perfect fall day in Portland, sunny and crisp. A few dear friends and I went to visit vineyards in Cornelius, and also went to the first pumpkin patch of the season to pick up harvest vegetables -- especially squash and sugar pie pumpkins!

To end the day, I cooked up a dinner of GF rigatoni, pesto, and roasted butternut squash.

Here's the recipe:

Roasted Butternut Squash

• preheat oven to 400 degrees
• peel, scrape out the seeds, and cut the squash into one inch cubes
• peel 5-6 cloves of garlic
• place squash and garlic in a roasting pan and coat generously with olive oil
• cook for 30-40 minutes, until lightly browned and tender

Pesto

• chop one bunch of fresh basil finely (approx. 1 cup)
• peel 2 cloves of garlic
• chop 1/4 cup of walnuts
• grate 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
• puree all dry ingredients plus 1/2 cup olive oil and pinch of salt until incorporated

Cook the rigatoni according to instructions on package. After pasta is cooked, add grated Italian cheese (I used Toscano dusted with cinnamon) to pasta right after draining. Then add 2 tbs of pesto plus the roasted squash. For a bit of spice, add crushed red pepper. Mix well, and enjoy!