Recipe: Creamy Butternut Squash and Shells

Recipe from our vegetarian friend Lisa Marshall. Photo by Mary E.

Cary, NC – I grew up in an Irish family. How I became a vegetarian from that, I’ll never know.

The Irish way of cooking vegetables was to boil everything, yes, everything! Soft vegetables with no color or nutritional value was the way Mom cooked them. All I can say is thank goodness for potatoes!

Because of this I am not a fan of mushy vegetables. But, here is a wonderful Fall recipe for Butternut Squash and Pasta Shells that is creamy, comforting, healthy and delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 pound peeled and cubed butternut squash (you can cheat and get this already done at most markets)
• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 oz organic vegetable broth
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 pound short pasta cooked (I like medium shells- they hold the sauce nicely)

Directions

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the squash and saute for 3-4 minutes, add the garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, and cook for another minute. Pour in the broth, cover and cook until the squash is tender about 10-12 minutes. Let it cool about 5 minutes.  At this point you will put the squash in a blender and puree, or use an emersion blender right in the pan.  Once it is smooth, add 1/4 cup pecorino romano cheese, stir in the cooked pasta, and chopped fresh basil.

Butternut squash is a great souce for vitamins E, A and C, and potassium. Even Mom likes this one!