This roasted butternut squash pasta is made with garlic olive oil and chickpeas. It's sprinkled with salty toasted breadcrumbs instead of cheese, to keep things vegan. An easy weeknight dinner.
Roast Squash: Scatter squash on a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes, flipping halfway.
Toast Breadcrumbs: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add breadcrumbs and onion powder. Cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in salt.
Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta al dente, according to package directions. Reserve ¾ cups of pasta water before draining.
Make sauce: Meanwhile, give the skillet a quick wipe, add the remaining 5 tablespoons olive oil and red pepper flakes. Warm over medium-low heat. Add red onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until slightly golden at the edges, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low to keep warm.
Combine: Add pasta to sauce and toss to coat. Stir in spinach, chickpeas, ½ cup of the reserved pasta water, and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Cook until the spinach is wilted and chickpeas are warm, about 2 minutes. If needed, add up to an additional ¼ cup of reserved pasta water to bring everything together. Scatter in the butternut squash, taste and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley and toasted breadcrumbs.
Notes
Chickpeas: You can use home-cooked chickpeas instead of canned: 1 can (15 oz/14 fl oz/398 ml) = 1.5 cups of cooked chickpeas.