Noms: Chickpea Pasta w/ Butternut Sauce, Spicy Sausage, and Baby Spinach

erfect anytime of year, but especially comforting when it's cold AF outside 🥶 I've been slightly obsessed with Banza Chickpea Pasta, but feel free to use your favorite kind! Everyone knows how much I LOVE spice, so I use hot Italian sausage which is a great balance to the light sweetness of the butternut squash. 🌶 On the other hand, everyone knows how much I HATE vegetables like spinach, but you know it'sgood for you blah blah blah. So, when you're able to hide it behind big bold flavors, that's my kind of veggie party!

Ingredients

• 11 oz 4 links spicy chicken or pork Italian sausage - if you're not into spice, regular sausage will work, too.
• 1 lb butternut squash, peeled and diced
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 10 oz pasta
• 1/4 cup shallots, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh shaved parmesan cheese
• 4 sage leaves, sliced thin
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add butternut squash and cook until soft.
• Remove squash with a slotted spoon and place in a blender, blend until smooth. If you're next-level and have an immersion blender that will work, too!
• Add pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions for al dente, reserving at least 1 cup of the pasta water before draining.
• Meanwhile, in a large deep non-stick skillet, sauté sausage over medium heat until browned, breaking up with a spoon as it cooks. When cooked through, set aside on a plate.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and melt the butter, sauté the shallots and garlic until soft and golden, about 5 - 6 minutes.

• Add pureed butternut squash, season with with salt and fresh cracked pepper and add a little of the reserved pasta water (I used about 1 cup) to thin out the sauce to your liking. It's something I always see the chefs do on Food Network!

• Add handfuls of baby spinach and stir in parmesan cheese and sage. Toss in cooked pasta and sausage and mix until well coated.
• Serve with additional parmesan cheese on the side if desired. Because cheese is life.

What I love about this recipe is that it's fully customizable to your tastebuds using fresh seasonal ingredients. A huge part of eating well is making sure your body gets nutrients from trying new things. Try this out and let me know what you think!