Squash season is here! This is a great recipe that can help sneak in some additional vegetables onto the dinner plate, and you can substitute any winter squash in this recipe. Try it with pumpkin, acorn squash, honeynut, delicatas or really any mystery gourd at the farm stand. Side note: You can eat any winter squash, which is always my excuse to buy some fun gourds!
Winter squash is a great source of many vitamins and minerals but it’s a great source of beta carotene, which is a precursor to vitamin A. Winter squashes are also high in vitamin C, B6, magnesium and fiber. –Dana Mealing, RDN, LDN, CIEC, Tevis Center for Wellness community nutrition educator
Ingredients:
16 oz. bag of frozen, cubed butternut squash
1 1/2 cups fresh chopped tomatoes
1/2 yellow onion
1-2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/3 cup pasta water reserved from cooked pasta
1 lb. pasta
Preheat oven to 450F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place frozen, cubed butternut squash, chopped tomatoes and sliced onion on the baking sheet.
Drizzle olive oil on top and season with salt, pepper and thyme. Mix to cover the vegetables evenly with oil and seasonings. Bake for 20 minutes.
While the veggies bake, cook the pasta according to package instructions. Before draining the cooked pasta, reserve 1/3 cup of the pasta water and place in a blender. Take the cooked vegetables hot from the oven and blend with the pasta water until a smooth sauce remains.
Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta and toss to coat. Serve immediately with parmesan cheese or plant-based parmesan. Makes six servings.
Nutrition facts:
Serving size: ½ cup sauce only
Calories: 87; Fat: 5g; Sat. Fat: 1g; Carbs: 11g; Fiber: 2.3g; Protein: 1.36g; Sodium: 100mg
Adapted from: Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce (Dairy Free Made with Frozen Squash) (madaboutfood.co)
