Welcome back to my little corner of the page where life is bursting with flavor! I am glad you decided to join me this week as I have something new and exciting to share with you.
Today I will bring you the last of my colder weather recipes as we transition into spring. So, pour that drink and pull up a chair because this week I bring you pasta with sausage, butternut squash, and spinach, and some possible wine pairings to go with it!
When I made this recipe, I went a little heavier on the veggies than the recipe called for and it turned out fantastic.
For this dish you will need:
• About 3 cups butternut squash
• 1 pound ground Italian sausage
• About 8 oz fresh spinach (a little more won’t hurt)
• 1 box bowtie pasta
• ½ cup parmesan cheese
• 1 ½ cup heavy cream
• 3-4 tablespoons butter (real butter)
• 4 cloves of garlic freshly minced
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
First, you want to put on a pot of water for your pasta and make sure you add a little salt to the water. While you wait on that preheat your oven to 400 degrees and peel, seed and chop your butternut squash. Spoiler alert – Walmart sells butternut squash already peeled and chopped in bags in the produce department. I used the conveniently already chopped butternut squash, which takes about half the baking time. Toss the squash with a little olive oil and salt then spread out on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. If you use the squash that is already cut up, it is small enough that you only have to bake for about 15 minutes.
Once the water comes to a bowl add in the box of bowtie pasta and set a timer for about 3 minutes less than the box says to cook it for. While the pasta is cooking you can cook your Italian sausage. Make sure you are chopping it up well while it is cooking because you want there to be enough meat for each bite without the meat being too big. The pasta and sausage should be done cooking at about the same time – drain both and set aside.
Now for the cream sauce! Melt the butter and a drizzle of olive oil in a pan on medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted add in the fresh spinach and garlic. Toss around until all the spinach is wilted, which should only take a few minutes. Then add in the heavy cream and parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese is mixed in well. Now add all the other ingredients back to the pan — the pasta, the butternut squash, the Italian sausage. Stir everything together so that it is coated with the cream sauce.
You can make this your own by adding mushrooms or asparagus and omitting the squash. You could also change the meat to ground turkey or chicken if you wanted or omit the meat for a “Meatless Monday” option. The options are limitless! So next let’s talk about pairing this dish with a glass of vino!
Recently, I was asked if I could start giving wine pairing suggestions with the dishes I present to you, which I thought was a very good idea. While I do enjoy wine, I didn’t feel qualified to make pairing suggestions so I enlisted the help of Annie Slonaker and Clay Elkins of the Village Wine Shop in White Sulphur Springs.
I reached out to the wine duo explaining what I was looking for and the dish I wanted it to be paired with and let me tell you they came up with some amazing pairing options!
When asked for their feedback on the best pairing options here is what they said:
“First off, drink what you love. If you don’t like red wine, don’t make a red wine fit. If you only drink red wine, we can find the right one for you. I instantly think of a nice Rosé with bubbles, from Cruzat in Argentina. Bubbles are for every day! The Pinot Noir brings out the savoriness of the sausage while the Chardonnay is perfect with the creaminess. Up next would be a nice smooth Chardonnay from the Willamette Valley. Adelsheim makes an amazing one that is a perfect balance of vibrant fruit and round smooth corners. Or you can go red, and go with fun Nero D’Avelo or Barbera. Smooth, Italian and not overpowering. Delicious! What grows together goes together!”
So, there you have it friends — a great dish full of flavor and some wine pairing options sure to please any palate. I hope you enjoy this with friends and family.
I look forward to this new edition to the column of adding wine pairings and I hope you do too. As always, I am sending love from my kitchen to yours!
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