Gemma Hello autumn we are ready for a big plate of healthy comfort food. I am a big fan of this time of year. Not least because of all the comforting dishes we turn to in the darker/colder months. I still want comforting food to be nutritionally balanced. I want to get as many fresh ingredients as I can into our meals throughout the week.
Healthy comfort food
It’s safe to say that balance is the key here. I have made this pasta many times over the years and each time I look to add a new ingredient to make it more nutritionally diverse. In it’s early iteration it had more pasta and no chickpeas. With a bit of thoughtfulness the chickpeas gives the meal a protein boost and means you can use less pasta. I serve this with a side of green beans and a sprinkle of toasted pumpkin seeds.
The golden squash
Butternut squash is a yummy ingredient roasted. As the squash browns it caramelises creating sticky, chewy chunks of golden joy. Squash helps to make the meal nourishing and satisfying helping this dish tick the box for healthy comfort food.
A little bit of heat
I add a tablespoon of chilli oil to give a warming heat to this pasta. It’s a mild heat but you can of course miss this out or use a bit less/separate a portion for children before you add it. I recommend getting some chilli oil on your next shop. It is our go to for salads, soups, noodle and this butternut squash pasta too. A spoonful of chilli oil can take a speedy, potentially boring dish to the next level and turn a few ingredients in to healthy comfort food.
What about the kids?
Our children aren’t always keen on the food we serve, we are OK with that. We aim to make meal times a happy time of the day. That time together round the table is as much about connecting as it is about the food we eat. Every family is different and you know your children best so only you know how to make meals work for you. With this pasta some ideas could include:
- Dress their pasta with a little olive oil and add the squash and chickpeas separately. They can choose what they like and how they want to try it. If our children don’t want to try something we don’t make a big fuss. We just say thats ok and we move on. We are running a marathon not a sprint. I want them to know that new foods will be on their plate and that their voice is heard. Usually our children try most things and come back to things on their own. In some cases just having a new food on the plate is an acheivement.
- Make it into a sauce by blitzing some of the roasted squash and chickpeas in a blender along with a few tablespoons of the pasta water. Adaptation is key and sometimes I will serve a tiny amount of food to begin. The children are more likely to try it in this way and then I can serve more when I have their buy in. Ultimately do what works for you and your family.
This is recipe is healthy comfort food at it’s best, we hope you like it as much as we do!
Golden squash and chickpea pasta
Ingredients
- 1 whole butternut squash
- 6 cloves garlic
- Drizzle of Olive oil
- A few sprigs of Rosemary
- A small bunch of thyme
- Glug of extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 tin of chickpeas
- 1 tbsp chilli oil
- 150 penne pasta dried weight
- Grana Padano to taste (you can also use Parmasan or Pecorino Romano)
Instructions
- Peel and chopped your squash into chunky cubes and add it to a roasting tin. preheat oven to 170ºC fan (GM 5)
- Take the tip off your garlic cloves (so that they fall from the skin during roasting) and add to the squash
- Add the sprigs of rosemary and the leaves from your thyme to the squash
- cover with extra virgin olive oil season with salt and pepper then roast on 170°fan for 25 mins
- Drain a tin of chickpeas and add to the roasted squash which should be soft and starting to brown.
- Add chilli oil. Give it all a good mix then move it back to the oven for 10-15 minutes (until golden and brown) turn the temperature up to 190°fan (GM 6/7) for this last bit.
- Meanwhile cook your pasta, drain then quickly remove the squash from the oven. Season to taste, mix through your freshly drained pasta, grate your cheese and serve straight away.
