Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Agnolotti
Embrace cozy vibes with this tasty homemade butternut squash and goat cheese agnolotti recipe. This homemade agnolotti is filled with creamy roasted butternut squash and tangy goat cheese, and so good served in a simple sauce of parmesan cheese with crispy prosciutto on top!
Ingredients
Pasta Dough
- 453 grams all-purpose flour (1 pound)
- ½ teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt (use half as much of any other brand or type of salt)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 53 grams olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoons water (only if needed)
Butternut Sqash & Goat Cheese Filling
- 2 pounds butternut squash (peeled, scooped, and cut into 1" cubes)
- 113 grams goat cheese (4 oz)
- 28 grams parmesan cheese (1 ounce)
- 1 teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt (use half as much of any other brand or type of salt)
- ¼ teaspoon black peppere
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg (freshly grated)
Serving (2 servings)
- 340 grams butternut squash agnolotti (approx. 40 pieces)
- 28 grams unsalted butter (2 tablespoons)
- 2 slices prosciutto
- ¼ cup reserved pasta water
- 28 grams freshly grated parmesan cheese (1 ounce, plus more for garnishing)
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
Instructions
Butternut Goat Cheese Filling
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Roast. Toss the peeled and cubed butternut squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl to coat. Arrange the seasoned squash on a sheet pan in a single layer. Roast for 35-45 minutes until very soft and tender.
- Blend. Combine roasted squash, goat cheese, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in the bowl of a large food processor. Process until smooth and creamy, pausing to scrape down the bowl a few times throughout.
- Cool. Set the filling aside to cool. The filling can be refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for up to 3 months before use.
Pasta Dough
- Mix. Combine flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Make a well in the center. Pour whole eggs, yolk, and olive oil into the well and whisk with a fork to break up the yolks, gradually incorporating more flour in from the sides until you have a very thick, wet mixture in the middle. Attach the dough hook and mix on low, pausing occasionally to push more flour from the sides into the center.
- Knead. Once the dough comes together in a shaggy mass on the hook and there's no loose flour left in the bottom of the bowl, up the speed to medium-low and knead until the dough is smooth, about 6-8 minutes. It will feel quite stiff. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured countertop and knead with your hands for about 30 seconds to shape it into a ball.
- Rest. Wrap the dough in plastic and let chill at room temperature for 30 minutes before use. If not using immediately, refrigerate for up to 24 hours; let rest at room temperature for 1 hour before use.
Agnolotti Assembly
- Prep. Fill a piping bag with the butternut squash filling, using a bowl scraper or the flat back of a knife to even it out inside the bag and try to pop any air bubbles. Wait to snip the end off until you're ready to start filling the pasta.
- Divide. Divide the dough into quarters; no need to be precise, just eyeball it. Wrap the dough you aren't using in plastic and set it aside.
- Roll. Dust the pasta dough with flour and press into a rough rectangle shape using your fingers. Roll the dough once through the widest setting of the pasta roller. Brush any excess flour off the top of the dough and fold it in thirds like a letter (see visual guidance here: rolling pasta dough). Run the dough through the pasta maker on the widest setting again, with one of the open sides of the folded dough going through first.
- Keep rolling. Continue rolling the pasta dough twice through on each setting until the dough is quite thin but not so delicate it will tear (I usually go to #6 or #7 on my pasta roller). Dust with more flour as needed between rolls if it's feeling sticky. Support the pasta using the backs of your hands as it gets thinner so that your fingertips or fingernails don't poke or tear through it. Cut the dough into separate sheets about 12-16" long so they're easier to manage. Set the sheets you're not using aside under a towel and dusted with flour so they don't dry out.
- Piping and sealing. Pipe a line of butternut squash filling about half an inch in from one long edge of the pasta sheet. Lightly brush water along the inner edge of the filling. Fold the outer edge of the pasta dough over the filling, allowing the filling to roll forward slightly as you pull the pasta dough over it. Press the flap of pasta dough down to create a tube around the filling. Use the side of your pinky or forefinger to firmly seal the dough to itself and even out the filling. Trim off the excess dough, cutting along the edge of the flap, about half an inch away from the filling. Set the excess dough aside.
- Pinching and cutting. Press down on either end of the tube of dough to seal the open ends shut. Then use your thumb and forefinger to pinch approximately one-inch segments of filling down the length of the tube. Pinch firmly to make sure the dough is sealed all the way down to the bottom. Work from one end to the other, gently rolling each agnolotti forward, then cutting through the pinched together dough to create the envelope shape. Pinch the edges of each agnolotti together to seal.
- Repeat. Arrange agnolotti on a flour-dusted sheet pan and repeat with the remaining dough and filling until all the pasta has been formed.
Cooking & Serving
- Boil. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Reduce to an active simmer, then move on to the next step.
- Crisp prosciutto. Preheat a medium skillet over medium heat. Melt butter in the skillet, then cook prosciutto until bright red and crispy, flipping once or twice as needed. Remove crispy prosciutto to a paper towel and set aside.
- Cook agnolotti. Bring the water back to a boil, then add the agnolotti and cook for 3-4 minutes or until a bunch of them are floating. Test one piece of pasta for doneness by cutting or biting it in half (caution: it will be hot!). Use a wire spider or slotted spoon to transfer the cooked agnolotti to the same skillet you cooked the prosciutto in. Add reserved pasta water, and stir gently over medium-low heat.
- Sauce it. Add the grated parmesan cheese all at once and continue stirring gently as it melts. If the cheese is clumpy, you may need to adjust the heat or add additional splashes of pasta water to help it melt. Stir until the cheese and pasta water thicken into a silky sauce. Finish by stirring in the parsley.
- Serve. Serve topped with the crumbled crispy prosciutto and additional parmesan cheese freshly grated overtop.
RECIPE NOTES
- I consider a single serving 113 grams (4 ounces) of pasta per person. Homemade pasta is more filling than boxed pasta.
- If you're scaling this up, estimate 1 piece of prosciutto per person.
- This butternut squash-filled pasta freezes really well. I usually make a big batch, cook some right away, and freeze the rest. It's a great way to have a quick easy meal ready to go in the future.
- To freeze the butternut squash agnolotti, place the flour dusted sheet pan with the shaped pasta on it in the freezer for about 30-45 minutes. Then transfer the frozen pasta to a large resealable freezer bag and press as much air out as possible. It will stay good in the freezer for up to 3 months. The agnolotti can be cooked from frozen, just add 1-2 minutes to the cooking time.
- You can also freeze any unused pasta dough or filling. Wrap the pasta dough tightly in plastic wrap, then place in a plastic bag with as much air pressed out as possible. To freeze the filling, press a sheet of plastic wrap against the surface of it in an airtight container. Defrost both in the fridge, then let them come to room temperature to use.
- The butternut squash and goat cheese filling makes a great pasta sauce on its own. Thin it out with a bit of pasta water and/or heavy cream in a skillet and toss it with cooked pasta. Easy-peasy!