Fettuccine with Roasted Butternut Squash, Garlic, & Herb Sauce

This recipe was way too good to not share it with you.

I looooove fall, and I am excited this year to experiment with seasonal produce, like squashes. Trader Joe's just got in all their fall items, and butternut squash is among those. I've been keeping my eyes open for recipes that incorporate fall/winter produce, and the September issue of Clean Eating has an entire guide for prepping and cooking all kinds of squash!

Have I mentioned that I love Clean Eating? Every single recipe (every one!) is as healthful as it can be. It's great to know I can flip to any page and find a recipe that is low-fat, made with fresh ingredients, and super flavorful.

So needless to say, this pasta recipe came from the pages of Clean Eating, and it calls for butternut squash. After eating this meal, I am a huge fan of butternut squash.


Fettuccine with Roasted Butternut Squash, Garlic, and Herb Sauce

Serves: 6

Time: 1 hr. 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 of a whole butternut squash
• 1/3 c. vegetable broth
• 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1/3 c. olive oil
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 7 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tbsp. dried oregano
• 2 tbsp. fresh sage, finely chopped 
• 12 oz. fettuccine 
• 2 c. chunked, cooked chicken breast meat (I had some leftover roasted bone-in chicken breast meat from a dinner I made last week, so I just coarsely shredded that and used it. Rotisserie would work too, or anything you have on hand.)
• A few more tablespoons of finely chopped fresh sage 
• Chopped hazelnuts (I didn't have any so I used chopped pecans and it was fine)
• Extra olive oil for roasting squash

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400. 
2. Prep squash. Peel it with a vegetable peeler, then cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Take one of the halves, slice it and dice it until you have a pile of little squash cubes (cubes should be about 1").  
3. Toss squash cubes with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper; distribute evenly in a glass baking dish and bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes, or until squash is tender. 
4. Meanwhile, cook pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain, toss with a little olive oil, and set aside.
5. Meanwhile, make garlic, oil, and herb sauce. To make sauce, start by combining cornstarch and vegetable broth in a small bowl. Set aside. In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook the garlic, Dijon, salt, oregano, basil, and sage in 1/3 c. olive oil until garlic begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
6. Give a quick stir to the cornstarch/broth mixture; then add it to the pan. Stir until sauce thickens; then remove it from the heat and whisk it until completely mixed (e.g., broth and oil are no longer separating). Taste and add more salt if needed. (You may just want to eat spoonful after spoonful of the sauce right now. It is so good. But trust me: Wait for the final product!)
7. Once the squash is ready, combine it with the garlic, oil, and herb sauce in a food processor and process until creamy and smooth. Taste and add more salt if needed. (Isn't it good?)
8. Toss the butternut sauce with the pasta and the chicken. You may not want to add all the sauce at once. Add most of it; then taste it and see if it's the right creaminess. It's pretty rich, so add the rest if you're up for it. 
9. Serve pasta and top with chopped hazelnuts and fresh sage. (The fresh sage really completes this dish). 
10. ENJOY!