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Sunday, March 09, 2008

Almost pumpkin for dinner

Another cheater pumpkin dish using butternut squash. I know Aline was particularly thrown by having a sweet squash dish (but I'd be willing to be her parents didn't serve acorn squash drowning in brown sugar and butter as a side when she was growing up) so I figured I'd throw in a savory dish as well.

This is definitely comfort food. Warm pasta, rich squash, a creamy sauce, and bacon. It's such a winter dish it makes me sad that pumpkin is so difficult to find in the winter. With the high calorie fat content, its good for those winter nights when you need that "extra layer" to keep you warm. Of course, there's always cuddling as a way to keep warm.....

Noodles with Butternut Squash
Salt
4 slices bacon, coarsely chopped
1/2 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
6 oz butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1/2 Tbsp sage, finely chopped
1/4 tsp allspice
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 Tbsp heavy cream
pepper
1/2 lb egg noodles
1/4 cup finely grated parmesean cheese

1) Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt.
2) Put bacon into a large skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring until bacon is almost crisp, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels; let drain.
3) Add onion to skillet with bacon grease. Cook, stirring, until soft, 12 to 15 minutes.
4) Add pumpkin, sage, 1 1/2 tsp salt and the allspice. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.
5) Add broth and cream, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until pumpkin is soft and sauce has thickened slightly, about 25 minutes. Season with pepper.
6) Meanwhile, add pasta to boiling water and cook till al dente. Drain pasta, and add to skillet.
7) Add the bacon and parmesean and toss to combine.

Serves 4.
Each serving has:
Calories 331.7
Total Fat 10.0 g
Cholesterol 72.6 mg
Sodium 586.7 mg
Potassium 348.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate 45.2 g
Protein 15.1 g

4 comments:

  1. I've never actually bought pumpkin for eating purposes. I should really give it a try. These dishes sound interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This sounds delicious.... and definitely comforting!

    ReplyDelete
  3. you said the magic word: bacon.

    ReplyDelete