Butternut Leek Parmesan Spaghetti

Mmm I just discovered an amazing recipe that is an exciting departure from your average spaghetti dinner. This creamy and delicious recipe involves a sauce made from pureed butternut squash, chopped leeks, and Parmesan cheese. Once you add the chopped sage, it smells and tastes like the perfect warm and wintery dinner. It is also extremely creamy, but you can eat it with a clear conscience knowing that it's just blended veggies! Obviously, this leaves you room for other holiday indulgences, like cookies (more cookie recipes coming up soon, by the way!). 

I discovered this recipe on Skinnytaste.com, so you know that it must be holiday appropriate! The "hardest" part of this recipe process is pureeing the hot butternut squash in a blender. This is actually quite easy, it just means you have an extra appliance to wash when you're done eating your delicious pasta. This recipe can easily substitute ANY pasta, so don't feel obligated to use spaghetti noodles if you prefer a different type. 

Ingredients:

      1 lb butternut squash, peeled and diced (available pre-cut at Trader Joe's)

      1 tbsp butter

      8 oz spaghetti or pasta of your choice

      1 (1 cup) large leek (white part only, sliced thin)

      2 cloves garlic, minced

      1/4 cup fresh shaved Parmesan cheese

      4 sage leaves, sliced thin

      kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.     Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

2.     Add butternut squash and cook until soft (about 12-15 minutes). Remove squash with a slotted spoon and place in a blender. Blend until smooth.

3.     Add pasta to the boiling water and cook pasta according to package directions for al dente, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water before draining.

3.     Meanwhile, in a large non-stick skillet, melt the butter and sauté the leeks and garlic over medium-low heat until soft and golden (about 5-6 minutes).

4.     Add pureed butternut squash to leek mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add a little of the reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce to your liking. Stir in Parmesan cheese and sage and mix in pasta until well coated.