Butternut Squash Carbonara

Another carbonara recipe for you to enjoy!!

Carbonara is always delicious and never a bad choice. This is a different take on Carbonara; it still has the creamy element to it, just a little less fat. Compared to a traditional Carbonara recipe this is much much healthier for you because the sauce consists of vegetables and chicken broth. This doesn’t exactly scream summertime but I find it very light and refreshing, with a homey feel to it. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Carbonara (Adapted from Bon Appétit)

{ 4 oz. Italian sausage / 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage /

1 Butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into ½ in pieces (about 3 cups or so) / 1 small onion chopped / 

2 gloves garlic chopped / 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth / 12 oz fettucine /

¼ cup parmesan cheese plus extra for serving }

Heat large skillet over medium heat. Form sausage into ½ in balls and place in heated pan. When sausage is nearly done through the chopped sage in with the sausage. When cooked through, take off heat and set aside in a bowl.  

Add squash, onion, and garlic to skillet; season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, 8-10 minutes. Add broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until squash is soft and liquid is reduced by half, 15-20 minutes. Let cool slightly, then puree in a blender or food processor until smooth; season with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cut pasta-cooking liquid.

Combine pasta, squash puree, and ¼ cup pasta cooking liquid in the skillet used before. Cook over medium heat, tossing and adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until sauce coats pasta, about 2 minutes. Mix in ¼ cup parmesan; season with salt and pepper. 

Serve pasta topped with sausage, sage, parmesan, and more pepper.