Kale Pesto Pasta with Butternut Squash and Peas (Thermomix Pesto)

Name: Kale Pesto Pasta with Butternut Squash and Peas (Thermomix Pesto)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Mediterranean-inspired
Ingredients: 450 g butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes; 1 tbsp olive oil; 3/4 tsp kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste; Freshly ground black pepper; 340 g dried pasta (rigatoni, penne, or fusilli); 150 g frozen peas; 30 g walnuts or pine nuts (I’ll go with walnuts; let me know if that’s not right); 40 g Parmesan, cut into chunks (or 25 g nutritional yeast for a dairy-free option); 1 small garlic clove; 80 g kale leaves, tough stems removed, roughly torn; 1/2 tsp kosher salt; 90 g extra-virgin olive oil; 15 g lemon juice (about 1 tbsp), plus more to finish; 2 tbsp water, as needed to loosen; Lemon zest, to taste; Extra Parmesan, to serve

Judah Newman

A lighter, earthy pasta that still feels special for company: sweet roasted butternut squash, bright peas, and a clean kale pesto you can blitz in the Thermomix. The key is roasting the squash until deeply browned, then thinning the pesto with a splash of hot pasta water so it coats without feeling heavy. Great as a vegetarian main or alongside a simple protein.

pasta
vegetarian
thermomix
weeknight

45 min total · 15 min prep · 30 min cook

Serves 4

680 kcal · 20g protein · 78g carbs · 33g fat total

Thermomix · Sheet pan · Large pot

Ingredients

Instructions

Roast the squash

Heat the oven to 425°F. Put the butternut squash on a sheet pan, toss with the olive oil, 1/2 tsp of the salt, and a few grinds of pepper.

Roast 20–30 minutes, tossing once, until the cubes are browned on edges and a knife slides in with little resistance and the squash smells sweet and nutty.

Make the Thermomix kale pesto

Add the nuts and Parmesan to the Thermomix bowl. Grate 10 sec/speed 10. Scrape down.

Add the garlic and kale. Chop 10–15 sec/speed 7, scraping down once, until very finely chopped.

Add the remaining 1/4 tsp salt, lemon juice, and olive oil. Blend 20–30 sec/speed 5–6 until mostly smooth and glossy. If it’s too thick to move easily, blend in 1–2 tbsp water.

Tip: Keep it on the milder side now. You can sharpen it later with a final squeeze of lemon at the table.

Cook the pasta and peas

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until just al dente (taste it; it should still have a little spring).

In the last 2 minutes of boiling, add the frozen peas. Reserve 240 ml (1 cup) pasta water, then drain.

Toss and serve

Return the drained pasta and peas to the warm pot (off heat). Add the roasted squash and about 2/3 of the pesto.

Toss hard, adding reserved pasta water a splash at a time until the sauce turns silky and lightly coats the pasta (it should look glossy, not oily). Taste and add more pesto, salt, pepper, and lemon juice as needed.

Finish with lemon zest and extra Parmesan, if you like. Serve warm.

Make-ahead

Pesto keeps 3–4 days refrigerated with a thin slick of olive oil on top. Warm it to room temp before tossing so it emulsifies smoothly.

Notes

To keep this from feeling heavy, don’t dump in all the pesto at once. Start with ~2/3, then loosen with pasta water until it looks silky and light. If you want it brighter, add extra lemon at the end; if you want it richer, add more Parmesan.

Substitutions: Baby spinach can replace up to half the kale in the pesto for a softer flavor. Almonds work in place of walnuts/pine nuts.

Storage: Leftovers keep 3 days. Reheat gently with a splash of water to re-silk the sauce.