Roasted Squash Penne with Autumn Pesto

I bought a butternut squash about a week ago so I could make ravioli-needless to say I ran out of umph this week. I made this dish for the first time a couple of months ago and loved it! I decided I wanted it one more time before all the squash is gone for a whileRoasted Squash Penne with Autumn Pesto

adapted from rachael ray

1 cup flat leaf parsley tops, packed

1 cup baby spinach leaves, packed

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp paprika

2 cloves garlic, grated

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

1 tsp lemon zest plus juice of 1/2 lemon

salt and pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

1 butternut squash-peeled and cubed into 3/4 inch pieces

1 tsp sweet paprika

1 tsp nutmeg

salt and pepper

1 lb penne

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400*.

Place parsley, spinach, ginger, garlic, nuts, lemon zest and juice, some salt and pepper in food processor and turn processor on. Stream about 1/3 cup olive oil into processor to form pesto sauce.

Spread squash cubes onto baking sheet. Drizzle cubes with about 2 tbsp olive oil and season with salt, pepper, paprika and nutmeg. Roast 15 minutes, turn cubes over and roast 15 minutes more.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of starchy cooking water just before draining. Drain pasta and return to hot pot. Add reserved water and pesto and toss to coat. Gently mix in squash cubes and serve topped with lots of cheese!

Serves 6-8