Penne with Roasted Squash and Sausage
You’ll love this delicious and flavourful dish. When the squash is puréed with extra-virgin olive oil, it has a very creamy consistency—no need to include any fattening cream. The rest of the flavour in this dish comes from the simple combination of roasted garlic, sage, feta cheese and sausage.
1 small onion, sliced and sautéed
1 cup (250 mL) acorn squash, baked and peeled (any type of squash can be used)
2 cloves garlic, roasted
1/4 cup (50 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp (5 mL) balsamic vinegar
2 cups (500 mL) cooked penne
8 leaves fresh sage, chopped
1/4 cup (50 mL) feta cheese, crumbled
Slice sausage open and gently sauté the meat until it is thoroughly browned, breaking it apart in the process. Set aside.
To a blender or food processor, add sautéed onion, baked squash and roasted garlic. Purée. With blender running, add olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and blend until smooth. When finished it should have the consistency of a tomato sauce; if the purée seems too thick, add about 2 Tbsp (30 mL) of water to thin it out. Transfer sauce to a medium sauté pan.
Add the cooked pasta to contents of the sauté pan, stir together and heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and stir in chopped sage. Transfer onto two dinner plates. Top each with the sausage and crumbled feta, and serve. Serves two.
Best Health Magazine, November/December 2008; photography by Edward Pond
