Jamie Oliver described his winter squash penne recipe as having a “no-nonsense” method that can deliver great results.
“Yes, the first couple of times you cook this recipe it might take a little longer, but that’s OK, it’s not a race,” the chef assures.
Once learned, the recipe – taken from Jamie’s 15-Minute Meals cookbook – will become a speedy staple in your household.
With repetition, the chef affirmed: “You’ll definitely start knocking this recipe out of the park in 15 minutes.”
Here’s how to recreate Jamie Oliver’s winter squash penne with a side dish of a minty salad.
Jamie Oliver’s winter squash penne recipe
Serves: four people
Ingredients
Pasta
One vegetable stock cube
One butternut squash (neck end only)
One onion
One tsp fennel seeds
One small dried red chilli
Half a bunch of fresh sage
400g tin of chickpeas
320g dried penne
20g Parmesan cheese, plus extra to serve
Half a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley
Salad
Three ripe tomatoes
Half a cucumber
Four spring onions
Two little cos lettuces
Half a bunch of fresh mint
One ripe avocado
Two tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Two tbsp balsamic vinegar
20g feta cheese
Equipment
Food processor
Stick blender
Method
Make 500ml of vegetable stock (with the cube), then refill and boil the kettle.
Trim the stalk off the squash, roughly chop the neck end (don’t peel, and keep the seed end for another day), then blitz in the processor with the peeled onion, fennel seeds, dried chilli and sage leaves until combined.
Put into a casserole pan, add the stock, chickpeas and their juice, then put the lid on and stir regularly. Put the pasta into the large pan, cover with boiling salted water and cook according to packet instructions.
On a large board, chop and mix up the tomatoes, cucumber, spring onions, lettuce and mint. Squeeze over the avocado, discarding the skin and stone. Dress and toss with the extra virgin olive oil and balsamic, then season and crumble over the feta.
Using a stick blender, blitz the sauce, season and finely grate in the Parmesan. Drain the pasta, toss with the sauce and season. Serve scattered with chopped parsley leaves and an extra grating of Parmesan.
