Homemade Pasta with Butternut Squash Sauce
It has been a whirlwind of activity and learning the last two weeks! Starting a business has a lot of paperwork and tax questions upfront I was not expecting. It is always hard, at least with my personality, to realize you will not be “the best” at a task or job for quite a while. For me, running the backend of a business will be a humbling experience for a while, it seems.
While I have been busy, I did not forget that Valentine’s day is coming up! We don’t celebrate the holiday but I know many do and I have the perfect ‘Date Night In’ option. The sauce is a nice change from the traditional tomato base and can be made a day or two in advance. A homemade pasta tastes SO much better than the dry store variety. Pair with an Italian salad and a glass of wine to complete the meal.
Homemade Pasta with Butternut Squash Sauce
Serves 2
For the noodles:
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
Water (~3.5 TBS)
For the sauce:
1 medium butternut squash (3 1/2 cups cubed)
1 small bell pepper
1/4 yellow onion
1 cup broth
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp minced garlic (2 cloves)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup coconut milk
Salt and pepper to taste
For the toppings:
2 links andouille chicken sausage
1/2 yellow onion
1 TBS butter
Start the squash for the sauce
Preheat the oven to 415
Cut the bulb (part with the seeds) off the butternut squash
Peel the skin off the squash, making sure to do two layers to get down to the orange
Cut the squash into small cubes
Slice the bell pepper into chucks
Slice 1/4 yellow onion
Layout the squash, bell pepper, and onion on a baking sheet covered with a nonstick mat or parchment paper, drizzle with olive oil (~1 tsp). Season with 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix to coat and roast for around 40 minutes, stirring half way.
When roasting is complete, transfer to a stock pot with the minced garlic and 1 cup broth.
Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Add in red pepper flakes, remaining Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste.
Add 1/4 cup coconut milk and blend (using an immersion blender or by transferring to blender) until smooth.
Set sauce aside (covering to keep warm)
Prep the toppings by slicing the chicken sausage into small strips and browning it in a small sauté pan. Set aside.
Slice the 1/2 yellow onion in thin slices and add to sauté pan with butter. Turn heat to low and leave to cook slowly, stir every once in a while as you make the noodles
Beat 1 egg and mix with 1 cup white whole wheat flour. Add 1/4 tsp salt and stir
Add in 1 TBS of lukewarm water at a time until a loose ball forms (not too sticky)
Roll out the dough on floured counter top or on a nonstick mat, turning every few rolls until the dough is thin (1/8th in thick). Add dusting of flour when needed to prevent sticking
Using a pizza cutter, slice very thin strips of noodles (1/2 inch or less thick). Keep in mind noodles will expand when you cook them.
Bring water to a boil in a large stock pot with lots of salt (2-3 TBS table salt)
Add noodles to the boiling water and cook 5-7 minutes on high until noodles are tender.
Drain noodles, serve immediately with sauce, chicken sausage, and caramelized onions.
Before serving you can heat up the sauté pan with the onions and add the chicken sausage back in to warm up before serving. The sauce can be rewarmed if it isn’t still hot.
Prep in Advance
Make the sauce in advance and store in the fridge
Speed it Up!
Buy the pre-cubed butternut squash at the store
Steam the butternut squash cubes in the microwave for around 8-10 minutes before roasting. This can cut your oven roast time down to ~15 minutes
Buy pre-minced garlic
Buy fresh pasta to cut out the homemade pasta
