Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce

I've set a goal to go meatless for a month. I have several reasons, but don't worry, I'm not going to bore you to tears by listing them all, though ironically none of them are related to PETA. In part, I just want to be more creative in my cooking. Instead of "hmmm... what can I do to chicken tonight?" Thus far, it hasn't worked out as planned. Of the dozen or so recipes I really wanted to try, only one has made it to fruition. Instead I'm eating a lot of baked potatoes.

Tonight I tried this recipe from my all time favorite food magazine. It turned out pretty good. Child friendly, simple, and creamy with a really mild flavor. However, with the half & half and slathering it all over cheese ravioli it isn't the most healthy of dishes.

Butternut-squash pasta sauce
1 med. butternut squash (abt. 1 1/2 lbs.)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. dried rubbed sage
coarse salt and ground pepper
5 garlic cloves
1 cup half and half
pasta (such as cheese ravioli or any short pasta)
toppings (grated parmesan, chopped toasted walnuts, finely chopped fresh sage)

Preheat over to 375. Using large, sharp knife, trim ends; halve squash crosswise to separate bulb from neck. Peel with a vegetable peeler. Cut both pieces in half lengthwise. With a spoon, scoop out seeds; discard.

Cut squash into 2-inch chunks; transfer to a small rimmed baking sheet. Toss with oil and sage; season generously with salt and pepper. Scatter garlic around squash. Roast until squash is very tender, about 40 minutes, tossing once halfway through. Remove and discard skin from garlic.

Transfer squash to a food processor; puree. With motor running, add half and half through the feed tube; process until smooth. Add 1 to 2 cups water; continue to process until smooth, adding additional water to thin if necessary. Season again generously with salt.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot. Pour sauce over pasta; toss to coat. Add some pasta water to thin sauce if necessary. Serve with desired toppings.



***I only added 1/2 cup of the water and didn't thin it at all later - it didn't seem to thick to me at all. To freeze the sauce, add to saucepan still frozen, cover, and heat on med-low adding water to thin as necessary.