Butternut Squash For One

A week or two ago, one of my classmates in Foodservice lab made a butternut squash and spinach pasta with balsamic vinegar and sage. I tried to copy hers using a recipe from Sandra Lee and it turned out really well. I cooked the squash in the oven, while cooking pasta on the stove. When they were both done, I threw them together in a bowl and covered them with aluminum foil I used on the baking sheet. Then, I quickly cooked the spinach in the pot I used to make pasta with a little bit of Pam. Minimal cleaning required!

Ingredients
1 (20-ounce) package peeled cubed butternut squash
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning
3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large bowl combine all ingredients and mix to coat the squash.
Place squash on a nonstick baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with foil. Bake until the squash is tender and brown about 30 to 35 minutes making sure to flip the squash after 15 minutes.

Taste Explosion!

Today, we turned pureed pumpkin into a Gourmet meal. Here's how:

J & A's Pumpkin Sausage Ziti 

Ingredients

Ziti, or any other tubular pasta 

Andouille Italian Sausage (1 link per person)

2 Tbsp olive oil

Garlic, 1 clove

White Wine, a splash

1/2 cup vegetable broth

10-15 oz pumpkin (1 small can)

3/4 cup 2% milk

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

1/8 tsp Cinnamon

Coarse Salt and Pepper, to taste

Parsley, a pinch

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a deep saucepan until hot, add garlic

2. Add white wine and simmer

3. Add some vegetable broth and all of pureed pumpkin into pan

4. Allow sauce to reduce, stirring occasionally, and slowly add in more broth

5. When it starts to bubble, add in the milk

6. Add spices and seasonings

7. Allow sauce to simmer and reduce

8. Saute sausage links in a separate pan and heat water for pasta

9. Cut sausage into bite size pieces and cook pasta as directed

10. When the sausage is cooked, the sauce reduced, and the pasta is al dente, everyone serve themselves a gourmet treat!