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Pan Fried Butternut Squash Pasta

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I created this recipe as part of a sponsored post for Dreamfields. As usual, all opinions are my own.

Pan Fried Butternut Squash Pasta - Rich and comforting but still completely healthy! A dream come true.
October is national pasta month! Dreamfields Pasta is celebrating by teaming up with bloggers to come up with a new pasta recipe every day. It’s no secret that I. Love. Pasta. With a family that loves pasta as much as mine does I’m always trying to come up with exciting new combinations. Dreamfields asked me to come up with a simple and healthy vegetarian entree using their elbows, and I think this dish hits the mark!

This recipe for pan fried butternut squash pasta is so simple. It only requires 5 ingredients (plus salt, pepper, and Parmesan if you desire) and about 30 minutes to get it done. That makes it a healthy weeknight option that might even get your kids excited about squash.

Pan Fried Butternut Squash Pasta - Rich and comforting but still completely healthy! A dream come true.

The trick to this recipe is allowing the squash to cook until soft, then getting it nice and crispy for added texture. Adding a little cheese gives it extra richness and flavor, but will also help it crisp up before adding it to the pasta. In my opinion, this is the perfect fall recipe because it has great harvest flavors and is super warm and comforting without being heavy and full of calories.

As a family of mostly vegetarians we’re always looking to get more protein into our diets, especially on the beloved pasta night. I love that a one-cup cooked serving of Dreamfields pasta provides 5 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein! That’s definitely going to help fill everyone up, which really just means there will be more pasta for me. Probably my favorite thing though is that it totally tastes like the pastas you’re used to – none of that strange taste or texture that a lot of healthier pastas have.

Pan Fried Butternut Squash Pasta - Rich and comforting but still completely healthy! A dream come true.

There’s still plenty of time to jump on the pasta wagon. Dreamfields will be sharing a new recipe every day, so be sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. They’ve already shared Casual Entertaining and are halfway through Vegetarian Entrees, but we still have Table for Two coming up as well as Stovetop Saviors/ Quick and Easy Recipes!

If you haven’t tried Dreamfields, here is your chance! Dreamfields is offering one family pack (one box of each of the 7 cuts of pasta) plus a $25 gift card to one randomly-selected winner! That’s a lot of good eatin’. Leave a comment letting me know which cut of Dreamfields pasta you’re most excited to try, then use the Rafflecopter widget to complete your entry and find more chances to win. You can also visit www.DreamfieldsFoods.com to learn more about the brand and get some fantastic pasta recipes (including the others from #IHeartDreamfields month)!

Pan Fried Butternut Squash Pasta - Rich and comforting but still completely healthy! A dream come true.

Are you following along on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, and Instagram? If those aren’t your thing you can subscribe to The Live-In Kitchen to have new posts delivered straight to your email.

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Pan Fried Butternut Squash Pasta - Rich and comforting but still completely healthy! A dream come true.
Print
Pan Fried Butternut Squash Pasta
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
30 mins
 

This Pan Fried Butternut Squash Pasta is fully of creamy, crispy butternut squash!

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6
Calories: 383 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1 13.25 box Dreamfields elbows
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and shredded (about 3 cups)
  • Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese blend or Mozzarella
  • 6-8 fresh sage leaves
  • Parmesan cheese and additional olive oil for topping (optional)
Instructions
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.
  2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the squash and 1/2 cup of water. Season with salt and pepper. Allow the squash to cook until it starts to disintegrate, 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more water 1/4 cup at a time if it starts to dry out. Don’t add too much water toward the end, you don’t want the squash to get soupy.
  3. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook just to al dente, so it is cooked but still a little firm. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta water, then drain. While the pasta is cooking, increase the heat on the squash to medium high and add the Italian cheese blend. Thoroughly combine, then let the mixture fry in the pan for about 5 minutes, stirring two or three times, so that it begins to caramelize and get crunchy in spots. Remove from the heat and combine the squash with the pasta. If it seems too dry add a little pasta water and mix thoroughly.
  4. Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and fry until crisp (it should happen fairly quickly). Transfer the sage to paper towels to drain.
  5. Serve pasta garnished with whole or crumbled sage leaves, a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, and an extra drizzle of olive oil if desired.


Recipe Notes

Makes 6 servings.
Nutrition information (1/6 of recipe): 320 calories; 11 g protein; 54 g total carbohydrates; 8 g total fat; 2 g saturated fat; 5 mg cholesterol; 100 mg sodium; 7 g total dietary fiber.

Nutrition Facts
Pan Fried Butternut Squash Pasta
Amount Per Serving
Calories 383 Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g 12%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 1mg 0%
Sodium 26mg 1%
Potassium 590mg 17%
Total Carbohydrates 65g 22%
Dietary Fiber 4g 16%
Sugars 4g
Protein 12g 24%
Vitamin A 265.8%
Vitamin C 31.8%
Calcium 9.3%
Iron 9.7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

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Comments

  6. Asking me to choose a fave pasta? That’s like asking me to choose a favorite kid! (Wait, I don’t have any of those little buggers yet…) I suppose since I’m EXTRA partial to pastas that make it easy to get sauce all up in their nooks and crannies, the elbows and the penne beckon to me ever so slightly more than the others. 🙂

    Side note: just thinking of that nutty, caramelized squash getting friendly with al dente noodles is taking me somewhere else. And fried sage?!?! My only weakness. Love this one extra mucho, Lindsay!

    Reply

  11. I’d most like to try the Penne as we eat a lot of that cut of pasta. It goes great with meatballs or roasted veggies.

    Reply

  46. honestly, i love pasta and they all sound so good. what i would love to know is if your dish tasted as good as it looks (probably better!) my mouth is watering… i absolutely love squash!

    Reply

  62. I would like to try the angel hair pasta, maybe some of the “angel” part might “rub off”……who knows? Ha! Schatzi

    Reply

  63. I’ve got to admit we’re a ‘spaghetti family’…..and if we don’t use sauce, then we’re also consider it a ‘finger food’. Makes dinner interesting….

    Reply

  69. I’d like to try their rotini – we usually stick with their spaghetti noodles with Dreamfield because that’s all our local grocery store carries!

    Reply

  70. My favorite Dreamfield’s Pasta is … wow that is a hard one considering my family loves all kinds of pasta!! If I had to choose though I would have to go with linguine, spaghetti and elbows!! Sorry I couldn’t pick just one!! Thank you!!

    Reply

  91. Exited to try with a spiral noodle, although we like all noodles. My children are noodle heads! They would eat noodles every day if i let them! Thanks for yummy recipes!

    Reply

  94. We are also vegetarians and this pasta sounds like a great addition to our menus. I’d love to try the angel hair.

    Reply

  95. I’d most like to try the linguine, becuase that’s what I use the most often, and the lasagna, because I never make homemade lasagna but would like to

    Reply

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