Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Pasta

I found this recipe and it sounded so mouth-watering!  I bought all the ingredients - and then life got crazy.  The basil didn't make it unfortunately, but still had the walnuts, goat cheese, and pasta on hand.

Cutting into the squash, I am reminded of how rich and deep the orange color is inside the thick outer shell!  Perfect for Halloween!

I adapted Giada's recipe - trying to make it slightly healthier and less quantity.  I used reviews to also adjust - a great idea I got from my mom.  I also swapped out penne for cavatappi (personal preference!)  Below is her recipe - and I'll show how I modified it.  Definitely give this one a try!!

Penne with Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• 1 (2-pound) butternut or kombucha squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 onion, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• Olive oil, for drizzling
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound penne pasta (I just used half a box)
• 1 cup (8 ounces) goat cheese, crumbled (I used only 2 oz - worked ok)
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted (see Cook's Note)
• 1 packed cup chopped fresh basil leaves (dried basil seemed to do ok - though I'm sure no comparison with fresh basil!)
• I also added 1/2 bag of frozen peas
• 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan

Directions

Put an oven rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Spray a baking sheet, liberally, with vegetable oil cooking spray. Set aside.

Mix the squash and onion together and arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bake for to 40 to 45 minutes until the vegetables are golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.

While the squash mixture is cooling, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drainand reserve about 2 cups of the pasta water. Put the pasta, goat cheese and 1 cup of pasta water in a large serving bowl. Toss until the cheese has melted and forms a creamy sauce. Add the squash andonion mixture, the walnuts and the basil. Toss well and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnishwith Parmesan and serve.

Here's the link!  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/penne-with-butternut-squash-and-goat-cheese-recipe/index.html

Learning again...

It has been a long while (nearly 4 months!) since my last posting.  But I have slowly been returning to the activities that first initiated this blog... Mike and I no longer provide a home to a basil plant.  The last one I had kept falling off our deck, and I did a poor job of caring for it.  But I have done lots of cooking - particularly trying to go seasonal!

From http://warmvanillasugar.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/2613_roasted_butternut_squash.jpg

I stopped getting my subscription to Cooking Light as I found I was getting overwhelmed with all the recipes each month.  However, they are still online and are very helpful when going to the grocery store.  But I also love the ideas from trusty Food Network!  I really like the variety of styles of the various hosts on the network and the reminder of what actually is in-season.

I am enjoying a free preview of the Cooking Channel!  We normally don't get it - but it shows a lot of the older shows I used to watch with my mom, plus new faves like Kelsey's Kitchen and Not My Mama's Meals (Bobby Dean's remake of Paula's rich recipes).  It is becoming my new hobby, as I share with Mike.

One thing we find, however, is by pursuing a 'hobby' of cooking, one spends more time (read: Money!) at the store.  So I'm also learning to cook healthily and seasonally while also frugally.  I found this site helpful in a quick search - and this one was creative and inspiring as well.

Anyhow - a quick look into how we're enjoying the fruits of the fall while also trying to remain financially savvy!  More to come...