One of my favorite fall-time vegetables, Butternut Squash, is the key ingredient for this savory dish. Italian sausage and pasta are mixed with the squash that is flavored just right with (dried) Sage, Coriander powder, Garlic Salt, and a bit of Chili Flakes for a slight hot kick. This dish is easy to prepare, but looks and tastes extraordinary. A truly great combination of spices that really make the butternut squash perfectly delicious.
Ingredients:
1 lb Mild Italian Sausage
1 lb Butternut Squash (peeled & cut in one inch cubes)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 lb farfella pasta
2 Tblspns dried Sage
1 tsp Coriander
1 tsp Garlic salt
1/2 tsp Chili flakes
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions: Salt and pepper the squash and then spread it out on a cookie sheet. Bake it for 20 - 30 minutes in a 400 degree oven, until the squash is just tender. Set the baked squash aside. Cook the pasta and reserve about a cup of the pasta water. In a large fry pan, cook the Italian sausage, breaking it into small pieces with a spatula. Add the onion, garlic, Coriander, Chili Flakes, and 1 Tblspn of the Sage to the sausage and cook until the onion is slightly clear. Add the cooked pasta and half of the cooked squash to the fry pan with the Italian sausage. Gently mix to combine. Make a squash sauce by combining the following: half of the cooked squash, 1 tsp Garlic Salt, 1 Tblspn Sage, 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and 1/4 - 3/4 cup reserved pasta water (add enough water to make a slightly thick sauce). Pour the squash sauce over the pasta and sausage mixture in the fry pan. Mix together until the sauce is covering the pasta. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese. Garnish with fresh Sage leaves and serve immediately.
