Butternut Squash Pasta

Hi everyone :) This is my first post and I'm so happy to be here! I'm excited to share and learn and hopefully inspire more healthy eating!















I recently had this recipe at my sister's house and my whole family loved it!
I bet you could make it with traditional elbow macaroni noodles instead and pass it off as mac-n-cheese. My kids have no problem eating veggies but I know some kids don't like to eat them. You could use the "hide the veggies in their food" technique that was the premise of Jessica Seinfelds new cookbook. Ok, here's the recipe:

1 bag bowtie pasta
1 medium butternut squash
1 cup light cream (I just use milk)
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese (I use about a cup :)
2T chopped fresh parsley (can use dry)
salt and pepper to taste (It really needs salt!)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 tsp minced garlic
drizzle of olive oil
1/4 cup diced onion sauteed in butter - optional
1/2 cup - 1 cup cubed deli ham - optional


Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain and set aside. Cook butternut squash until tender. (Notes on cooking squash below) Add squash to a medium sized bowl and mash with a fork. Add the cream, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper, onion and ham to squash. Mix well. Add the pasta and gently stir it altogether. (Stirring it too much can make it look like mush). Put the pasta into an oven safe or microwave safe dish.

To prepare bread crumb mixture, add the garlic and a drizzle of olive oil to bread crumbs. Mix well and sprinkle on top of the pasta. Bake or microwave until heated through. In the oven about 25 minutes at 300 degrees or about 5 minutes in microwave.

COOKING SQUASH OPTIONS
Wash squash and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds from center and discard. Place upside down on a cooking sheet and bake for half an hour at 400. My sister adds a bit of water to the cooking sheet and places the squash face down in the water for cooking. I prefer to microwave for 8-10 minutes or until tender and it can be mashed easily. I place it face up and cover with plastic wrap to allow it to steam.
Then simply scoop out the squash away from the skin.