Yes, you really can make a most delicious pasta sauce without one single tomato. I love this dish because it really doesn’t have tons of ingredients and it is so darn healthy. Choose gluten-free pasta and it could be magical. The main ingredient of this sauce is squash. The sauce is creamy without cream, and packed with flavor and you just know you are doing your body a favor by eating this. Another unique element of this recipe is you can forget baking the squash for an hour, then scraping the mushy pulp. Nope! The squash is cut in half, cleaned of seeds, peeled with a vegetable peeler, cut into 1-1/2 inch chunks and boiled. Any firm winter squash will work. I have made it with butternut and red kabocha and both are delicious. Every bite has a unique and luscious (yes, that is the best word) flavor that makes you just want more, and more, and more.
4 cups of 1-1/2 inch cubes of squash. Cut your squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds. Cut the squash into 1-1/2 inch slices and use a vegetable peeler to peel the thin skin. Next cut the peeled slices into 1-1/2 inch cubes. You need 4 generous cups of squash.
1-cup fat-free milk
¼ cup chopped chives, or green onion tops
1/4 –cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1=tablespoon butter
1/3-cup Parmesan cheese
2-teaspoon dried sage leaf
¼-cup finely minced celery
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
2-teaspoons salt, separated
½-teaspoon black pepper
8-ounces dry spaghetti broken into 3-inch pieces
In a large pot heat 2 quarts of water. Once it is boiling add one-teaspoon salt. Place the prepared squash in the water and cook 3-4 minutes or until just tender. Remove the squash and drain well. Set aside. In the same water you cooked the squash, cook the spaghetti until al dente. Drain well. Place the hot pasta in a serving dish or large bowl. Immediately add the olive oil and butter, chives, sage leaf, salt, garlic, celery, and pepper. Toss. With a large chef knife coarsely chop 3-cups of the cooked squash and gently fold into pasta. With a blender or immersion blender, cream together the remaining squash, milk, and Parmesan cheese until smooth and creamy. Heat the creamed mixture in the microwave until hot, about 2 minutes. If it thickens too much add milk a bit at a time. Stir into the prepared pasta mixture and serve immediately.
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