Butternut Squash Chickpea Pasta with Crispy Sage and Mushrooms

I love me a good pasta, but red sauce just doesn’t do it for me most of the time. There’s just something about a creamy sauce that is so much more satisfying. Now I know creamy sauces have their stigma of being fatty and high in calories (which I also love), but not this sauce! This creamy and savory sauce instead gives you a hearty serving of vegetables–aka lots of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

I used this sauce with the Banza pasta. I know I have raved about this pasta before, but it is so good. The only way you might disagree is if you hate chickpeas, since that is what they are made of. I love this pasta because it is so high in protein, so I don’t have to worry about adding any meat or other sources of protein to make it a satisfying meal. Cameron actually went up for seconds a little too quickly before realizing his eyes were too big for his stomach and that just one portion is super satisfying.

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we did!

Ingredients:

1 box Banza pasta

1 medium size butternut squash

5 cloves garlic, sliced

8-10 fresh sage leaves

2 T olive oil

¼ white onion, diced

2 cups vegetable stock

¼ cup dry white wine

¼ tsp pink Himalayan salt

¼ tsp pepper

¼ cup whole milk

¼ cup parmesan cheese

¾ cup sliced mushrooms

2 cups spinach

Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Peel butternut squash and scoop out insides. Cut into small cubes and toss in olive oil, sliced garlic and a little salt and pepper. Add to baking sheet and cook for 25 minutes.
3. Heat 1 T olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat and add sage—sautee until slightly cripy. Remove to separate plate and set aside.
4. Heat another T of olive oil and add diced onions. Sautee ~5 minutes while the butternut squash finishes up. Add butternut squash and garlic to the pan with the onions. Pour in 2 cups of vegetable broth and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add ¼ cup white wine and the pink Himalayan salt. Simmer ~5 minutes.
5. In a separate pot, heat water and salt to boil. Add box of eat banza pasta, reduce to simmer and cook according to directions (7-9 minutes).
6. Transfer entire contents of the pan into a blender. Add ¼ cup heavy whipping cream and parmesan cheese, blend until contents are smooth.
7. In the same pan as before, heat a splash of olive oil over medium heat and add mushrooms and spinach and sautee until soft. Then add the contents from the blender back into the pan. Add salt, red pepper flakes and pepper to taste. Simmer until pasta is ready.
8. Drain pasta and add to pan and mix until coated. Divide into bowls and serve with more red pepper flakes and crispy sage.