Butternut Squash Sauce with Quinoa Pasta

Butternut Squash Sauce with Quinoa Pasta

Tomorrow is the first day of Fall and I thought I would celebrate the changing of the seasons with one my favorite dinners. I went to my local farm stand and picked out a locally grown butternut squash and some sage. Buying locally grown food helps support your local growers and also guarantees fresher produce. With this recipe having a fresh ripe squash makes all the difference in the world. Another fun fact: butternut squash is full of antioxidants which may help you ward off those cold weather sicknesses. So eat up!

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash peeled, seeded and chopped in 1 inch cubes
2 tbs olive oil
1 onion chopped to about the same size as the squash
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
6 fresh sage leaves finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
3-4 cups of vegetable broth
2 tbs of butter or vegan butter (earth balance butter)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese or vegan parmesan
1 box of quinoa pasta

Bring a large pot of water to boil and add quinoa pasta. Let boil for roughly ten minutes then drain. This can be done while you are making your sauce.

In a large dutch oven pot, heat olive oil and add onion, butternut squash, salt and pepper. Saute on medium and add nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, sage and garlic. Saute all of this for 10 to 15 minutes, or until butternut squash is softened on the outside and onion is translucent. Add white wine and stir together letting it simmer for another minute. Then add enough vegetable broth to just cover the vegetables. Depending on the size of your butternut squash this can be between 3 and 4 cups. Add the butter and cover and let simmer on medium low for about 10 minutes until butternut squash is easy to cut through. Then blend everything in a blender or use an immersion blender until smooth and creamy. Return the sauce back to the pot and add parmesan cheese and pasta. Stir and let sauce and pasta come together.

Yields about 8 servings