Penne Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash & Avocado Oil

This pasta dish is great served warm or cold. Why not enjoy it as part of a tasty picnic.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 380g Semi Wholewheat or Spelt Penne Pasta
• ½ butternut squash, cut into bit-sized pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2tbsp lemon juice
• 2tsp lemon zest
• 6tbsp Clearspring Avocado Oil
• 40g spinach
• 1tbsp sage, chopped

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4, put the butternut squash onto a baking tray with a little avocado oil and seasoning. Roast until soft - 15-20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile cook the penne in boiling, salted water following the pack instructions.
3. Now put the avocado oil, garlic and sage into a pan and cook on a very low heat until the garlic is softened but not coloured.
4. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest. Strain the pasta retaining 2tbsp of the cooking liquor and then add the pasta and liquor to the sauce with the butternut squash and spinach. Mix thoroughly, adjust the seasoning as required and serve.

Variation

For a bit of a kick, add a pinch of chilli flakes to the oil at the same time as the garlic.

Chef

Celia Plender

Celia Plender is a freelance food writer and chef with experience in both Japan and the UK. She has written for publications including Time Out Magazine, channel4.com/4food, goodfoodchannel.co.uk and clearspring.co.uk.

Since returning from Japan, where she worked as a chef in a Tokyo kaiseki restaurant, she has devoted more and more of her time to Japanese cuisine. As she trained in the West, she is also fully conversant with European cuisine.

She is the proud editor of two cookbooks: Dashi and Umami, the Heart of Japanese Cuisine (Cross Media 2009) and Umami World Recipes, Filipino (Cross Media 2009).

In her food writing career she has written for various magazines and websites, including www.channel4.com/4Food, where she is currently Deputy Editor, www.goodfoodchannel.co.uk, Time Out Eating and Drinking Guides, www.Eat-Japan.com and www.clearspring.co.uk. She is also a member of the Guild of Food Writers.