Welcome to the Stage: Honeynut Squash Pasta

Let this serve as your weekly reminder to get outside while you can before fall changes into full layers season. We’re at the peak of leaves changing and still squeezing in 70-degree days. Somehow we’re about to get into November and the year keeps moving.

I had taken a break from drinking coffee these past couple months, but one morning this week was calling for a quick stop in for a warm cup on my way to work. Talk about a top feeling: the warmth of a hot cup of coffee as the sun rises. (I won’t shame those living and dying by the iced coffees. The seasonal drinks are active.)

With that mention of the season, we’ve got Halloween already in full force from the weekend. Lotta creative costumes all around the city. Don’t have one myself just yet, but this week will get something together. The sweets kick off the treats from here on out of the rest of the year.

Honeynut Squash Pasta with Sausage and Spinach (Recipe #2)

This was actually a weeknight dinner, with a caveat that it takes a bit of time, but not much active time. So this is perfect for a night you may need to clean or leave room for a workout (or both, sharing from experience). Just a few ingredients, most of which I had already which was where this idea all started. Seasonal and simple – you know that’s the name of the game by now. Also, the pasta sauce could easily be used as a base of a soup, which sounds weird, but it’s just that simple.

Ingredients

• 2 Honeynut Squashes – you’re familiar with butternut squash, and these look just like that, but they’re smaller, slightly sweeter and have a more concentrated orange color.

• 1 Medium-sized Onion, sliced in half

• 1 Head of Garlic, top cut off for roasting

• Sage, few leaves for under each squash half while roasting

• Heavy Cream, ½ cup

• Chicken stock, ½ cup – also can use water. I keep Better Than Bouillon base in my fridge which is easy for these smaller amounts and lasts a long time. (Yes, Mom, I have learned this is helpful, but please still look at expiration dates…)

• Crushed Red Pepper, ¼ tsp (optional)

• Italian Pork Sausage, 1 pound with casing removed – you could cook the sausage with the casing on if you prefer rounds as well as use chicken. The pork with casing removed is preferred to get the different bite sizes and brown deeper.

• Pasta, 1 pound – I used rigatoni, any pasta with ridges to hold sauce and the sausage would be great like fusilli, orecchiette or cavatappi

• Roasting Basics:

  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil

  • Salt

  • Black Pepper

• Pepitas, optional – I finished this all with toasted pepitas in some brown butter to top off the pasta

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400º – line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

2. Prepare squash, onion and garlic for roasting – slice squash in half, scooping out seeds. Drizzle cut sides with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and place cut side down on parchment. Add a few sage leaves below each of the squashes. Cut onion in half and trim off ends and outer layer, drizzling with olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper and placing cut side down like squash. Cut top off head of garlic and drizzle with olive oil before placing cut side down on sheet. Roast for 35-40 minutes until you can poke squash with fork with no resistance. Flip over squash and rest for at least 10 minutes.

3. Blend pasta sauce – once the roasted vegetables have cooled, scoop out the squash into a blender or food processor. Add onion and squeeze garlic into the mixture. Add heavy cream and chicken stock or water. Blend until smooth. Season to taste with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

4. Boil pasta water – bring a pot of salted water to boil. Drop pasta once boiled, cook till al dente. Reserve a half a cup of pasta water.

5. Cook sausage – heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan over medium high heat. Cut sausages to remove casing and add to pan. Cook for 8-10 minutes, smashing the sausage to cover the pan and get as much browning where possible. Do not constantly check and move the sausage, so that it can brown in spots.

   1. Toast pepitas in butter – this optional step can be done after cooking the sausage, either using the same pan or use butter in a separate small pan.

6. Mix all ingredients – once sausage is cooked through, remove from pan and use a paper towel to take out excessive oil, leaving a bit to finish the sauce and combine. Add pasta, sausage and sauce to pan. Stir to combine, then mix in spinach. Add ¼ cup of pasta water to loosen and wilt spinach. Add more if needed.

7. Serve pasta and top with pepitas, if using. Enjoy!

This was enjoyed for leftovers a few times over. And you can probably see why the blended vegetables could be used as a soup base, super simple and would go great with a grilled cheese or whatever warm meal you’re feeling.

What’s Cookin’

As for some other things I’m making this week, it’s a fairly simple list on the brain right now, so I’ll be leaning into some simple weeknight meals I bet.

Leftover Halloween Candy Cookies by Nea Arentzen

Talk about a great cookie idea that I haven’t heard of yet. It’s so simple because you can make it with whatever you have but also can choose your favorites if others haven’t gotten to them yet. I’d go with Snickers, peanut M&Ms and 3 Musketeers for a first run at it.

Maple Pecan Sourdough Scones

It may just be the posts I’ve noticed, but King Arthur has been on a sourdough kick lately, and I’m here for it. I’ve never had a sourdough scone before, but these flavors are calling my name. Plus, they look very similar to the brown sugar cinnamon Pop-tarts, though I know the taste is different. Time for some taste testing.

If you haven’t been spooked during Spooky Season just yet, this upcoming week officially welcomes November. Time ain’t slowing down. Even more: Daylight Saving kicks back the clocks on Sunday. Okay, that’s enough scary chatter.

Enjoy the week ahead 🤘