PASTA WITH BUTTERNUT SAUCE, SPICY SAUSAGE AND BABY SPINACH

PASTA WITH BUTTERNUT SAUCE, SPICY SAUSAGE AND BABY SPINACH image

Categories Pasta

Yield 5

Number Of Ingredients 16

Pasta with Spicy Sausage, Baby Spinach and Creamy Butternut Sauce
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 5 Size: 1 1/4 cups Old Points: 7 pts Points+: 9
Calories: 362 Fat: 8 g Carb: 55 g Fiber: 5 g Protein: 20 g Sugar: 1 g
Sodium: 419 mg (without salt)
Ingredients:
11 oz (4 links) spicy chicken Italian sausage
1 lb butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 tbsp light butter
10 oz casarecce, or pasta of your choice
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

Steps:

Directions: 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. 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. Add baby spinach and stir in parmesan cheese and sage.