Butternut squash sausage mushroom pasta

How do you like that? The title has pretty much all the ingredients listed! OK, not really, but it does seem excessive.

This recipe comes from RealHouseMoms.com. It was one of those recipes that my whole family enjoyed eating, and I felt good serving because it was loaded with healthy things.

Ingredients

• 1.22 lb Turkey Sausage (I used Sweet Italian)
• 1 lb butternut squash, peeled and diced
• 1 T butter
• 14.5 oz whole wheat Penne pasta
• 1 T olive oil
• 8 oz. sliced baby bella mushrroms
• ¼ c shallots, diced (I used green onions)
• 3 cloves of garlic, diced
• 2 c baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 2 T shaved parmesan cheese
• 4 sage leaves, thinly sliced
• salt and pepper to taste

     

Instructions

1. bring salted water to a boil in a large pot (Here I just cut my squash in half, took out the seeds and microwaved the heck out of it to get it soft.)
2. add butternut squash and cook until soft
3. remove and add to blender
4. blend with ¼ c of cooking water
5. add pasta to boiling water
6. while that cooks remove sausage from casing and add to a large deep skillet over med high heat, break apart as it cooks
7. remove from pan after fully cooked and set aside
8. add olive oil to pan and mushrooms, cook until tender then removed and set aside
9. add butter to pan and sauté shallots and garlic, cook until golden, stirring often
10. add butternut squash, spinach, sage, parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste
11. add back in the sausage and mushrooms and another ¼ c of cooking water
12. remove pasta once done and add to large dish
13. toss with sauce
14. serve with parmesan cheese, optional