A tasty butternut squash recipe!

[Ailinea]

Hey all!

I tried this recipe out the other day and it was absolutely delicious. It takes a bit of work with the cutting and peeling of the squash, but once you get past that it's great. You can of course alter some of the ingredients on here to make it completely vegan (basically, replacing the milk/half & half with soy milk, but I'm not sure how that would taste).

You'll need:

A pound or so of 1-inch cubed butternut squash (you can find a way to peel and cube various different ways on the internet, it's not an easy task)

3 or 4 cloves of garlic

Vegetable stock

Pasta, enriched or whole-wheat (I like rigatoni, but fettuccine works well too)

Fresh basil, about a quarter to a half cup

Fresh sage

Whole milk or half & half

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Saute the butternut squash and garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add a cup of the vegetable broth and simmer for another 5-7 minutes, or until the squash is very soft. Remove from heat and puree in a food processor.

Meanwhile, boil salted water for the pasta and cook until just tender. Drain and set aside.

Put the squash puree in a medium-sized pot over low heat and mix in 1 cup of the whole milk, finely chopped basil, salt and pepper and sage to taste until creamy. Add more milk (about 1/4 cup or so) if the sauce seems too dry or thick. Combine with the pasta and have a great side dish or meal!

If you eat seafood, shrimp is a good addition, but it is of course delicious by itself.

I can't take all the credit for this recipe; I saw it on Giada de Laurentis's show on Food Network. But it's a nice variation on butternut squash that isn't sweet or loaded with brown sugar.

Enjoy!  

[winnlovesyou]

Wow! That sounds really good, I gotta try that soon.  

[Sylphide Le Papillion]

Sounds delicious, thanks! Of course it would alter the taste, but you
could leave probably just leave the milk out. I'll have to try it. ^ ^  

[at my windowsill]

i just had jaw surgery,
and pureed butternut squash is one of the best baby food options i've had.
but i've been wondering about how i could season it to make it more interesting.
this sounds like a solution. thanks !

so glad i'm vegan though
because who really wants to try pureed veg and MEAT?
gross. ):
when things like squash are so delicious and satisfying
why add cruelty to a meal? (especially baby food.)