Bowtie Pasta with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Sautéed Fresh Sage

I've been eyeing this recipe for a while, but fresh sage is hard to come by here.  I found a small sage plant in my grocery store a little bit ago, so I brought it home in anticipation of this recipe.  I decided to use a large sweet potato instead of a butternut squash; all of the squashes were huge.  I'm sure both ways are good; I loved this with the sweet potato; I could have just eaten the roasted sweet potato mixture by itself.  I also had some shallots that needed used, so I used a handful of those instead of the small onion.  And........ I was in a hurry and tired when I made this, so I made a last-minute decision to use some real bacon bits I had in the fridge, instead of the prosciutto.  It had been a long day.  ;)  They were a nice addition and added a nice, smoky saltiness.

Bowtie Pasta with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Sautéed Fresh Sage
adapted from Eating, Etc.

1 large sweet potato OR one small butternut squash (about a pound)

1 small onion, chopped (or a few fresh shallots, peeled and chopped)
2 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup fresh sage leaves, finely snipped
8 oz bowtie pasta
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 Tbs. butter
1/4 cup fresh whole sage leaves
1/4 cup prosciutto, finely chopped OR 2-3 Tbs. real, good-quality bacon bits
2oz parmigiano reggiano or Parmesan cheese, shredded
extra fresh sage leaves for garnish, optional

1.  Pre-heat oven to 375 F.

2.  Peel sweet potato and chop into 1" cubes.  If using squash:  Cut squash in half; scoop out seeds & string; peel squash & cut into 1” cubes.  In large bowl, toss sweet potato or squash cubes with onion, (or shallot), garlic, olive oil, sea salt, pepper, & 1/4 cup of the finely snipped sage leaves.  Spread squash mixture in a thin layer on large foil-lined baking sheet and roast for 35 minutes or until squash/sweet potato is soft.

3.  In a large saucepan, cook bowtie pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside.

4.  In a small skillet, over medium-high heat, toast pine nuts, stirring constantly, until light golden brown.

5.  As squash finishes roasting, in a large, deep skillet, heat butter on high heat until it just starts to brown.  Add 1/4 cup whole sage leaves and sauté for about 1 minute until crisp. Remove to a plate and crush with the back of a spoon.  Lightly sauté prosciutto until warmed through (can add real bacon bits here instead, if using). Remove to a bowl.

6.  Add pasta to skillet, along with roasted squash mixture, & crushed fried sage leaves. Cook on medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until some pasta edges begin to brown.  Stir in pine nuts and parmigiano reggiano and serve immediately.  Garnish with fresh sage, if desired.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **