FALL is Not Lost!

I realized it's been a while since I've cooked anything blog-worthy.  Normally, I can't help but be inspired to cook by fall weather and fall ingredients.  Sadly, this year I've really been slacking off.  I haven't made ONE SINGLE pumpkin baked good!  OR my annual batch of pumpkin ice cream!  No chili, hardly any soup, and I've only made baked ziti once.  Pitiful.  

However, I did recently whip up a great pasta dish that I've been wanting to experiment with for some time now.  I wanted to make a hearty butternut squash sauce for pasta that had a little kick and featured some good wintery greens.  Ta da!  My one fall cooking triumph!  Fall is not lost ;)

Butternut Squash Pasta with Spicy Italian Sausage and Kale
(Serves 4)

1 lb. butternut squash, cut into 1" pieces
1 large shallot, cut into 1" pieces
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 TBSP olive oil + a little more for the sausage
Kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 - 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 lb. spicy Italian sausage (this is about 3 links - I used turkey sausage)
Big pinch crushed red pepper flakes 
12 ounces pasta of your choosing 
2 cups shredded Tuscan kale, ribs removed (about 1/2 a big bunch of kale)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese + more for serving

First, preheat your oven to a toasty 400 degrees.  Toss the butternut squash, shallot, and garlic with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and a big pinch of kosher salt and black pepper.  Roast the butternut squash, shallot, and garlic on a shallow baking sheet for 30-40 minutes, until the squash is soft and the shallot and garlic are just starting to caramelize.  

When the veggies are done, puree them in your trusty food processor.  When I pureed my roasted veggies, I found that the resulting puree was kind of chunky.  I was able to remedy this by adding a little chicken broth while the food processor was still running, just until the puree smoothed out.  Be careful not to make the puree too soupy!  I use a little pasta water to thin out the sauce again after it's tossed with the pasta.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  In a separate stockpot or dutch oven, brown the Italian sausage in a little drizzle of olive oil.  Once it starts to brown, add a big pinch of crushed red pepper flakes and finish cooking the sausage.  Once the sausage is cooked through, add the butternut squash puree and reduce the heat to medium-low.  Let the squash and sausage heat together, stirring occasionally, while you're cooking the pasta.

Cook the pasta according to package instructions, adding the shredded kale to the boiling water about 1 minute before the pasta finishes cooking.  Before draining the pasta and kale, reserve some of the pasta water.  Stir the drained pasta and kale into the butternut squash sauce, adding some of the pasta water until it forms a smooth sauce that evenly coats the pasta.  Stir in 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese.  Enjoy with a little more parmesan cheese grated on top.

Fall comfort food at its finest!