Pasta with Butternut Squash Sauce & Greens

How do you know when I really like a recipe?  Making it a week later and buying spinach as an excuse to make it again are good signs :)  It's a bit of a pain to chop up a butternut squash to make this pasta dish, but it's so worth it!

 

Out of necessity (no half-and-half in my fridge) I made a change to the sauce tonight, which improved the already great flavor and reduced the amount of fat in the sauce.

The original recipe calls for a cup of half-and-half.  I substituted two cups of vegetable broth instead.  The result was a smoother sauce that had more butternut squash flavor.

I also used a blender this time, instead of a food processor, just to see if it would work.  My blender is always on my counter, whereas I have to drag the food processor out of a closet, so I was happy to discover the blender did just fine.

The new version of the sauce results in a nicer look dish too, as you can tell from the comparison photos below.  I still have several butternut squash, and am looking forward to making this at least a couple more times this season.

Pasta with Butternut Squash Sauce & Greens

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 1 butternut squash (about 3 pounds)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 5 cloves garlic, peel on
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 pound of any short pasta, such as penne
• 4-6 cups of hearty greens (such as spinach, chard or kale), torn into bite-size pieces

Instructions

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Pierce squash a few times with a fork, then microwave for two minutes. Cut the ends off, then stand it up and slice it down the middle.
• With a spoon (a grapefruit spoon works well), remove the seeds and discard. Chop each half into thirds, then run the knife down the side to peel the skin away. Finally, use a vegetable peeler to remove any remaining skin.
• Cut squash into 1-inch chunks and place in a large ziploc bag. Add oil, sage, salt and pepper. Shake bag until squash is evenly coated.
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, then transfer squash in an even layer. Scatter garlic around squash. Roast for 20 minutes, toss once, then bake for another 15-20 minutes until the squash is very tender.
• Remove and discard skin from the garlic. Divide squash in half, leaving half on the pan, and adding the other half to a blender (or food processor), along with the peeled garlic and vegetable broth. Process until smooth.
• In a pot large enough to hold the pasta and greens, cook pasta according to package instructions. With three minutes remaining of pasta cook time, add the hearty greens to the same pot.
• Drain pasta and greens, then return to the pot. Add the butternut squash pieces and butternut squash sauce. Toss to coat, and serve.

Recipe adapted from: Martha Stewart

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