Roasted Rosemary Butternut Squash Penne

So I LOVE Lean Cuisine Butternut Squash Ravioli.

I really wanted to try to make it at home, but dough scares me. And I really don't see me making ravioli of any kind. Ok... once in a while I think I might want to try... but then it seems completely overwhelming and I forget about it.

So instead of ravioli, I decided to turn it inside out, make a Creamy Butternut Squash Sauce for Penne. Maybe that would taste kinda like the ravioli?



Roasted Rosemary Butternut Squash Penne
1 pound penne, cooked according to direction on box
1 recipe Garlicky Rosemary Squash (click the link or recipe follows)
1 - 2 C chicken stock
1/2 C cream
8 oz snap peas
freshly grated nutmeg
handful of chopped walnuts

Toast walnuts in a dry pan and set aside.

Put about half of the Garlicky Rosemary Squash in a large sauce pan. Add about a cup of chicken stock and blend with stick blender, until smooth. Add cream and blend again. If sauce is too thick, add more chicken stock until you get the consistency you want.

Grate in a little nutmeg.

Add remaining Garlicky Rosemary Squash and snap peas to sauce and stir gently. I like really crunchy snap peas, so I just added them to the sauce raw and kept it warm while cooking the penne. If you like your snap peas a little less crunchy, you could steam them before adding them to the sauce.

When the penne is cooked, toss it with the sauce until well mixed.

Sprinkle with toasted walnuts and serve!

Garlicky Rosemary Squash
1 medium sized butternut squash, peeled & cubed
2 TBLS fresh rosemary, minced
2 TBLS olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large bowl, combine the rosemary, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Add squash and toss to coat.

Move to a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with parmesan and toss gently. Bake, uncovered, at 400 F for 50-55 minutes or until squash is just tender.

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So while the Garlicky Rosemary Squash is in the oven, toast the walnuts and set them aside.


Put half of the Garlicky Rosemary Squash in a saucepan.




Add about a cup of the chicken stock and blend.




Blend in the cream


If you want it a little thinner, add more chicken stock and blend.

Stir in the remaining butternut squash


And the snap peas


Oh yeah... almost forgot the nutmeg...


Mix that up... and toss it with the cooked, drained penne.




Sprinkle with toasted walnuts...


I thought this had a nice fall feel to it and would go perfectly with Chicken Apple Sausage.

So I browned up a package of these.


Tada!


I thought this dinner totally rocked! My family however, was completely under-whelmed.

I didn't expect Jon or Bobby to like it at all. So I wasn't really surprised there. But I kinda thought Tawny and Lilly would like it. But they were totally nonplussed.

But... our friend Andrew happened to stop by after dinner and Jon offered up the leftovers. There were a lot and I knew I couldn't eat them all, so I was pretty happy when he accepted.

He brought them home to Erin and the kids, and they said they enjoyed it! Yay!

Even though I liked it, I probably wouldn't make it again. If I lived closer to my mom, I'd make a much smaller batch and invite her to lunch.

All in all... I was pleased with the outcome! If your family likes squash... this is a keeper!!

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Now on a totally separate note, I was lucky enough to receive this Over the Top award from Heather over at girlichef. Thanks Heather!!

I have to answer a few questions...with one word only... that's harder than you think!!



1. Where is your cell phone? desk
2. Your hair? ugh
3. Your mother? awesome
4. Your father? wicked cool (but deceased) he needed more words =)
5. Your favorite food? Mexican
6. Your dream last night? forgotten
7. Your favorite drink? margarita
8. Your dream/goal? patience
9. What room are you in? office
10. Your hobby? cooking
11. Your fear? falling
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? here
13. Where were you last night? home
14. Something that you aren't? sticky
15. Muffins? sure
16. Wish list items? long
17. Where did you grow up? Wakefield
18. Last thing you did? read
19. What are you wearing? boots
20. Your TV? dusty
21. Your pets? sleeping (probably)
22. Friends? few
23. Your life? cool
24. Your mood? pleasant
25. Missing someone? yup
26. Vehicle? New!!!
27. Something you're not wearing? mustache
28. Your favorite store? Penzey's

Now I'm passing this along to Cathy, Cheryl, Angel in the Kitchen, Denise and Gypsy Girl Gourmet.

Check out their blogs! They're Over the Top!