Friday, June 22, 2012

Pasta with Butternut Parmesan Sauce

I found this on simplyrecipes.com. This sauce will work with any pasta, but I used whole wheat penne.  The sauce is unique - unlike anything I've had before. I really enjoyed it. I also made this and ate it while being on the phone the entire time. Hahaha!

INGREDIENTS
1 butternut squash weighing about 2 1/2 pounds
1 pound pasta
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/3 cup of chopped shallots or onions
1/4 cup of packed, freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt (I used fat-free sour cream)
1/8 teaspoon of grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
Water as needed to thin the sauce, about 1 cup (I didn't use this much - maybe used 1/2 a cup)
handful fresh sage leaves
2 tbsp butter


METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Cut the butternut squash lengthwise in half* and scoop out the guts and seeds and discard them (or save the seeds and toast them). Pour 1/4 cup of water into a pyrex or ceramic baking dish and place the butternut squash halves cut side down. Bake for 40 minutes or until a fork easily pierces the squash. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Scoop out the squash flesh from the skins and put into a blender. Discard the skins. Tip: If you see a package of already chopped up butternut squash buy that and save yourself 30 minutes. All you need to do is boil with a little bit of water and drain the water when done. Takes about 10 minutes.

2. Saute the onion in the olive oil over medium-high heat in a small skillet until just beginning to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Add the onions to the blender. Add 1 cup water, the parmesan, 2 teaspoons salt and nutmeg and puree. If you need a little more water, add it. Pour the sauce into a small pot set over low heat. Mix in the sour cream and warm it through. Do not let the sauce boil.

3. Fill a pot with water and salt (1 tablespoon of salt for every 2 quarts of water). Set over high heat to bring to a hard boil. Add the pasta and cook at a hard boil, uncovered until al dente. When the pasta is ready, drain and put it into a bowl. In a small pan, melt butter with sage. Do not let butter burn. Remove leaves and rest on paper towel. Spoon sauce over the pasta and add your sage. Amaze!

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