Bow Tie Pasta with Butternut Squash Sauce & Portobello's

A MUST try if you're looking for deliciously different kind of pasta night!  The sage and garlic give this dish a wonderful woodsy flavor.  I make the low-cal or vegan version using coconut milk...but you can certainly substitute heavy cream and add regular parmesan cheese if you like!

I hope you enjoy and incorporate this dish into your monthly cooking regimen. It's a definite WOW and the whole, unpeeled garlic cooking method allows you to squeeze out the garlic paste once the squash is roasted to spread on healthy grain bread or crackers of your choice....or squeeze out the paste and add it to your puree mixture.

Here's the Recipe and some great nutritional info I found along the way:





INGREDIENTS:

• 1 medium butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
• 1 cup sliced Portobello mushrooms (sautéed in olive oil & garlic- optional)
• Coarse sea salt and ground pepper
• 5 cloves garlic, peel on (plus more if you want extra to spread on your favorite bread)
• 1 cup coconut milk, almond milk - or liquid of your choice such as heavy cream
• Pasta (such as bow ties, (farfalle) or any short pasta)
• Toppings, such as grated Vegan (or regular) Parmesan cheese, sautéed Portobello mushrooms, chopped toasted walnuts, finely chopped fresh sage

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Here's where you'll thank me later!  I put the whole squash into the oven and bake for 10 minutes to allow skin to become soft first, which makes for easier cutting. Using oven mits, Remove from oven and now... Using a large, sharp knife, trim the ends; cut the squash in half lengthwise. With a spoon, scoop out seeds; discard.
2. Dress your squash with oil and sage; season generously with salt and pepper. Scatter garlic around squash. Roast until squash is very tender, about 40 minutes. 
   
   
3. Using oven mits...Scoop out Squash from skin, squeeze out garlic from it's casing and transfer squash and garlic to a food processor; puree. With motor running, add coconut milk through the feed tube; process until smooth. Add 1 to 2 cups water; continue to process until smooth, adding water to thin if necessary. Season again generously with salt. 
   
   
4. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot. Pour sauce over pasta; toss to coat. Add some pasta water to thin sauce if necessary. Serve with desired toppings.
   
   HAVE FUN IN YOUR KITCHEN! 

           Food = FAMILY!
           Invite a crowd...they'll love this dish.



Health benefits of Butternut Squash
(courtesy of nutrition-and-you.com)

• Butternut squash composes of many vital poly-phenolic anti-oxidants and vitamins. As in other Cucurbitaceae members, butternut too has very low calories; 100 g provides just 45 calories. It contains no saturated fats or cholesterol; however, is rich source of dietary fiber and phyto-nutrients. Squash is one of the common vegetables that often recommended by dieticians in the cholesterol controlling and weight-reduction programs.
  
  
• It has more vitamin A than that of in pumpkin. At 10630 IU per 100 g, it is perhaps the single vegetable source in the Cucurbitaceae family with the highest levels of vitamin-A, constituting about 354% of RDA. Vitamin A is a powerful natural anti-oxidant and is required by the body for maintaining the integrity of skin and mucusa. It is also an essential vitamin for optimum eye-sight. Research studies suggest that natural foods rich in vitamin A help the body protected against lung and oral cavity cancers.
  
  
• Furthermore, butternut squash has plenty of natural poly-phenolic flavonoid compounds like a and ß-carotenes, cryptoxanthin-ß, and lutein. These compounds convert into vitamin A inside the body and deliver same protective functions of vitamin A on the body.
• It is rich in B-complex group of vitamins like folates, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), thiamin, and pantothenic acid.
• It has similar mineral profile as that in pumpkin, containing adequate levels of minerals like iron, zinc, copper, calcium, potassium, and phosphorus.
• Butternut squash seeds are a good source of dietary fiber and mono-unsaturated fatty acids that benefit for heart health. In addition, they are rich in protein, minerals, and numerous health-benefiting vitamins. The seeds are an excellent source of health promoting amino acid, tryptophan. Tryptophan converts to health benefiting GABA neuro-chemical in the human brain.

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