Butternut squash pasta with sausage and spinach

Squash. I thought I hated you. Turns out I love you. Time to re-evaluate all my life decisions.

I think I've eaten squash every day this week which is an all time vegetable record.  The original recipe comes from Skinnytaste but the first time I made it I struggled with the measurements so this has quite a few adaptations.

Serves 4

3 links of Spolumbo's chicken apple sausage (gluten free) or alternatively spicy italian sausage
5 cups of butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 Tbsp light butter
10 oz of corn pasta (I like fusilli)
1/3 cup shallots, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced (and more if you like)
2 cups of baby spinach, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp fresh shaved parmesan cheese
4-5 sage leaves, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and ground pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add butternut squash and cook until soft. Remove squash with a slotted spoon and place in a blender. Blend until smooth. At this point I found I needed to add 1/2 cup to 1 cup of water to help the blending action. Set aside.

Add pasta to boiling salted water. Cook according to directions and if you are using gluten free pasta, rinse well after it is cooked.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet or saucepan, saute sausage over medium heat. I find this works best if I break the sausage up rather than slice it. Cook until browned, and once cooked, set aside on a plate.

Reduce heat of the saucepan to medium low. Melt the butter and add the shallots and garlic. Cook until they are golden, about 4-5 minutes. Add pureed butternut squash, season with salt, pepper and garlic powder if you are crazy about it like me. At this point, if you feel like you want your sauce thinner, add more water. Add baby spinach, parmesan cheese, and sage.

Toss in cooked pasta and sausage. Stir until it is well coated and heated.

Enjoy!

Stick to your ribs chili

It's been a solid two years of trying to find a decent chili recipe that is equal parts awesome and filling. I've tried a few but this most recent one has been the most satisfying. I don't love large amounts of beans, and cumin is a must so this hits all the checkmarks.

Serves 6-8
Source Canadian Living

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 onions, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 lb of extra lean ground beef
3 Tbsp chili powder
1-1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 can plum tomatoes (I use low sodium tomatoes)
1/2 bottle strained tomatoes (I can't find this to save my life in the grocery store so I add about 3 Tbsp of tomato paste)
1/2 cup water
1 can (19 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onions and garlic, stirring occasionally until golden, about 8-10 minutes.

Add beef; cook, breaking up with a spoon, until browned. Stir in chili powder, coriander, oregano, salt, pepper, and cayenne; cook for 1 minute.

I cut up my tomatoes in the can with scissors. Buying a can of whole tomatoes helps preserve more of the flavour than buying diced tomatoes. Add to pot, along with tomato paste, water and kidney beans. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  Uncover and cook for 10 minutes.

Holy Moly, this soup is good. Apple cheddar squash soup.

It's a snowy November afternoon here and I wanted something warm to stick to my ribs. This soup definitely did the trick. I made a few substitutions as I didn't have quite everything on hand (even after 2 trips to the grocery store, I blame old age). It still turned out fantastic. I found this on the Food Network website and it made quite a lot. They said it serves 4 but I think I could squeak it to 6.

5 tablespoons unsalted butter (I cut it to 4)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 medium apples, thinly sliced
1 large white potato, diced
1 1/2 cups chopped peeled, butternut squash
Kosher salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried sage (I ran out and used savoury as a substitute)
2 tablespoons flour (gluten free)
1/3 cup apple cider (feel free to crack a can of Rock Creek and drink the remainder while cooking)
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (gluten free)
1 cup of milk
2 ounces proscuitto, torn into bite size pieces (I used bacon as a substitute)
2 cups grated sharp cheddar (I used low fat) plus more for garnish
Chopped green onions/chives for garnish


Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large pot over medium-low heat and add the onion, apples, potato and butternut squash. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the onion is soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in the sage and flour. Add the cider and cook over medium-high heat, stirring until thickened. Add the broth and milk, cover and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring until the potato is soft, about 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the proscuitto and cook until crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain and pat dry on paper towel. (I cooked bacon in the microwave to save time here).

Add the cheese to the soup and stir over medium-low heat until melted. Puree in a blender in small batches until smooth. Garnish with proscuitto, cheddar and chives.