Butternut Squash Pasta

I love Pinterest because it is a great way for me to find new recipes. Now with Jared being a vegan, he has made cooking for our family even harder. This recipe only had a little parmesan cheese, and butter that can easily be subsituted for olive oil. My kids were nervous to try it but really liked the sweet flavor.

Butternut Squash Pasta
Recipe and picture from: www.skinnytaste.com

13 oz. whole wheat pasta. I used spaghetti
1 medium size butternut squash
1 leek
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 Tbs. butter
2 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper
vegetable or chicken broth, optional

Set your oven to 400 degrees. Cut the stem, and end off of your butternut squash. Slice in half length wise and scoop out all the seeds and strings. Spray, or brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkly lightly with salt and pepper. Place cut side down on a cookie sheet and cook 40-50 minutes until squash come away easily from skin. Scoop out the flesh and put in a processor and blend until smooth. If you don't want to cook it this way, you can peel and cube your squash and boil it until tender. I just don't like doing more cutting than necessary. After you puree your squash, set it aside. And set a large pot of water to boil for your pasta.

Slice the leek, using the white part only. Saute it in butter until the leeks have become soft and translucent. Add your garlic, stir for a minute, and add the butternut squash and season with salt and pepper. It will be thick. Thin out the sauce by using some reserved pasta water, or vegetable/chicken broth. Once you have the consistency you want, add the cooked pasta and parmesan cheese. Toss to combine, serve immediately with more parmesan cheese on top if desired.