08 September 2013



It's time for this month's Secret Recipe Club! The Secret Recipe Club is a group of food bloggers who secretly make one of someone else's dishes and post them all on the same day at the same time.  It's really fun, choosing a recipe to make, making the recipe, then reading about everyone else's recipes.  It's a great way to "meet" other bloggers and check out some great blogs that you never knew about before.

Secret Recipe Club


This month I was assigned the blog Everyday Mom.  It's written by Kim, who is a mother of three who loves to bake.  While Kim has some great desserts on her blog, I was more drawn to her savory offerings.  I liked the sound of her Chicken and Goat Cheese Polenta, and I also wanted to try her Grilled Root Beer Chicken.   But in the end, I couldn't resist choosing a more fall-style dish.  She made a Squash and Pasta dish that sounded amazing to me.   She roasted acorn squash and put that and some bacon together with pasta and a cream sauce.  I changed it just slightly by using roasted butternut squash (my favorite winter squash) and I had a half pound of Italian sausage that needed to be used up, so I used that in place of the bacon.  

Roasted Squash and Sausage Pasta

Ingredients:
12 oz. short-cut pasta (I used mafalda)
24 oz. butternut squash, cubed
Olive oil
Kosher salt
½ large onion, chopped
½ lb. ground sage sausage
½ cup reduced sodium chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream
Fresh sage, chopped

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Boil pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°.  Place squash on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with kosher salt.  Roast in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until squash is tender and golden brown.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium skillet and sauté onion until it begins to soften.  Add sausage and cook until brown.  Drain off any grease.  

When pasta is done, drain and return to pot.  Add sausage and 3 cups of the butternut squash.  Pour in the broth and heavy cream and stir to combine.  Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper if desired.  Serve immediately, garnished with fresh sage.

Makes 4 servings.


 I cheated and used pre-cut squash.  I love butternut squash, but they are the biggest pain in the butt to peel and cube!  I usually enlist my husband's help because I am such a wimp I can't even cut through the things.  I used to buy squash like this at Meijer when I lived in Michigan, and I loved it.  I happened to be in Milwaukee the day or two before I made this dish, and had to stop at Trader Joe's, so I got it there.  I roasted two of these 12 oz. packages, but didn't quite use all of it.  But one package wouldn't have been enough.  

 Roasted butternut squash is simply divine!  One of my favorite fall foods.


You can use any short cut pasta you like; this is the one I used.  I had never heard of mafalda before, but it was perfect for this dish.  

This pasta dish is so yummy!  The flavors of the roasted squash, the sausage, and the fresh sage are just amazing together and really scream "Fall!"  And I love the simplicity of the sauce; just a bit of chicken broth and cream.  Just the perfect way to dress this delightful concoction of flavors.

This dish was a hit with my family, with the exception of my three-year-old who wasn't in the mood for squash that day.  But she loved the rest of it.

Thanks for a great recipe, Kim!


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10 comments:

  1. What a colorful, appetizing looking dish.

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  2. Elizabeth @ Food RamblingsSeptember 9, 2013 at 12:32 PM

    I love your blog-- can't wait to visit more :) It was hard to pick just one recipe, but I love the one I made from your blog!

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  3. This is definitely a great Fall dish and is a favorite with my family. Thanks for checking out my blog

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  4. Roasting squash is my favorite way to prepare it so I know I would just love this wonderful dish. This sounds fantastic! What a great pick.

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  5. Sausage and squash ushers in Fall flavors and I would eat your daughter's share and then some.

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  6. I love Butternut squash. I didn't know you could buy it pre-cut like that. The pasta looks and sounds amazing.

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  7. That just screams 'Autumn!' I can't wait to get my hands on some pumpkin. What a great dish to share with the SRC.

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  8. i haven't heard of mafalda pasta either, but it looks so good :) everything here looks great!

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  9. Gorgeous, fresh looking dish - I love sausage in pasta dishes!

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  10. This is a really great dinner, been to long since I made a butternut squash.

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