This is a wonderful wintry pasta that fits with everyone’s new years resolutions. Seriously, this is healthy, full of nutrient-dense veggies, vegetarian, is budget friendly (as in I had all ingredients on hand and no money left to buy groceries after not being very thrifty in December), and is darn tasty! I threw what I had in because I was craving veggies but also needed the fiber and the carbs from the pasta after a week of hard work outs. Farro pasta is a great alternative pasta. Farro is an ancient wheat grain that is high in fiber and has a whole wheat nuttiness taste that it lends to the pasta.

Squashy Pasta 

Serves Four through Six 

Farro Gemelli Pasta (Rustichelle d’Abruzzo  brand or favorite)

Four Golden Beets, skinned, sliced and steamed

One recipe Roasted Butternut Squash

Two Zucchinis cut into large quarters

One or Two Yellow Squash cut into large quarters

One cup Cherry tomatoes, halved and seeded

Three to four larger shallots, sliced into thin strips

Five or Six Garlic Cloves

Black Pepper

Small amount of Pecorino Romano, shredded

Half Cup Basil Pesto

Quarter cup White Wine

Quarter Cup reserved pasta water

One bunch of fresh basil, julienned

An hour prior, prepare the butternut squash (or make the night before). Once the squash has about twenty minutes left, begin to steam beets and bring salted pasta water to boil. Reserve beets and add pasta to water to cook for about 14 minutes. Heat a bit of olive oil in a large saute pan and add garlic, shallots and a bit of pepper. Cook until glassy (add crushed red pepper if desired). Hit this with the white wine and cook off the alcohol. Salt Zucchini, Tomatoes, and Squash and when the pasta has about two minutes left to cook, add to the saute pan (this is to make sure your veggies still have some crunch. Drain pasta, reserving a small amount of the pasta water, and add pasta to the saute pan. Add beets, roasted butternut squash, pesto, black pepper, and a small amount of grated Pecorino cheese. Add small amount of water a bit at a time as needed to make a sauce. Mix well and garnish with plenty of fresh basil and serve.