Happy Monday everyone, I hope you had a nice weekend! I’m coming at you from a winter wonderland. We went from 50+ degrees, to buried under a foot of snow in less than a week. Standard Midwest weather for ya’!
The snow started falling midday Saturday and didn’t stop for the next 24 hours. I can’t remember a winter in recent memory when it snowed this much in one day, but the storm was the perfect excuse to stay indoors in my slippers, cooking and working the weekend away. I didn’t step foot outside of the house on Saturday (eek!)
We have the best neighbors in the world who are constantly snow blowing our driveway, and this weekend was no different, so I made them a big pot of Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup to say thank you on Sunday, which the boys hand delivered. Little boys in snowsuits – is there anything better? I can’t wait to take the sled for a real run later this week after last month’s slushy mushy round one.
We settled in last night with a couple filets of salmon that Ben smoked for four and half hours during the afternoon. GAHHH – favorite smoked delicacy to date! He seasoned one with lemon pepper, salt, and pepper, and the other with my homemade BBQ Salmon rub. They turned out incredibly juicy and just barely cooked through. Per-fec-tion. Enjoyed while watching the Super Bowl for the commercials and half time performance, of course. Raise your hand if you whispered no waaaaaay!!! when Missy Elliott popped out? College flashbacks like woah!
Anyway, while Ben nailed the salmon on Sunday, I’ve been having the worst recipe bombs lately! Creating new recipes involves finding the sweet spot between new and interesting flavor combinations, and avoiding the just plain wrong zone, and it definitely doesn’t always work out. Case(s) in point:
Last month I tried lightening up the epic scalloped potatoes we made during our mountain cabin adventure during the holidays, then combining them with the flavors I had on a pizza while we were out there too. Skinny Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions, Bratwurst, and Apples, anyone? Yeah me neither. The potatoes were righteous, but the potatoes with apples and brats? NO! Still ate the whole pan.
Last week I made a big bubbling pot of Gluten Free Beer and Southwest Black Bean Chili. Flavor combo sounds fab, right? Maybe it’s because I’m a sweeter chili fan, but I ended up adding the same weight of cheese and tortilla chips as chili to my bowl in order to get it down.
And the piece de resistance – Maple-Balsamic Almond Butter Crock Pot Pork Chops. Friends, take my word for it and never EVER add homemade almond butter to your crock pot, mmkay? A mess of ingredients, small appliances, and 4 hours on high later I had a gritty, gloopy sauce glopped all over a falling apart pork chop. Say it with me – still ate it!
We need a dog.
Anyway, with failure, then a little bit of luck, comes recipe success! Ben and I are still talking about my Sticky Thai Chicken Fingers from last week (as he was eating test batch leftovers from the fridge he said, “I just want to eat these always,”) and I can thankfully add Gluten-Free Penne with Kale, Butternut Squash, and Sausage to the list too!
Italian sausage and chopped kale are sautéed then simmered with fresh butternut squash, which softens then turns into a luscious creamy sauce that lightly coats cooked gluten-free penne pasta, with a little help from your friend and mine, parmesan cheese. This dish is super simple, hearty, wholesome, and ready in just 30 minutes.
If you’ve got kale haters in your house, have ’em try it again with this dish. Since the kale is lightly simmered in chicken broth it gets nice and tender without falling apart. They’ll get a huge boost of nutrients and won’t even mind. Win!
This pasta dish is just GOOD, and completely comforting on a snowy winter night. A little sweet from the squash, savory from the sausage, and, well, I just always feel like I’m winning at life after eating kale. Right?
Start by cooking 1/2lb Italian sausage in 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up as it cooks. Add 4 cups lightly packed chopped kale (about 1/2 bunch,) season with a little salt and pepper, then saute until it just starts to turn tender, 1 minute. (Have you checked out my easy kale stem stripping technique?) Add 3 cloves minced garlic then saute for 1 more minute.
Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a boil then drop in 1/2lb gluten-free or regular penne pasta and cook until just shy of al dente, as the pasta will continue cooking a bit on the sauce. I let my Barilla brand cook for exactly 8 minutes.
BEFORE YOU DRAIN THE PASTA scoop out 1/2 cup pasta cooking water then set it aside. It’ll be used to thin out the sauce in a bit. (Said in bold and all caps because I am the queen of forgetting this step until I’m in the middle of a pasta draining facial!)
Back to the kale and sausage skillet – add 12oz butternut squash that’s been chopped into 1″ cubes, and 1-1/2 cups chicken broth. Bring the broth to a boil then place a lid on top, turn the heat down to medium, and then simmer until the butternut squash is very tender and mashes easily with a wooden spoon, 12-15 minutes.
I was thrilled to find these pre-cubed packs of butternut squash at the grocery store but I also made this with hand-chopped squash – doesn’t make a difference what you use!
Once the butternut squash is very tender use a wooden spoon to mash it up almost completely. It’s ok if you don’t get every last hunk – an occasional bite of sweet squash is actually really nice.
Add the cooked pasta along with 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese and 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil to the skillet then mix, adding splashes of the pasta cooking water as needed, until the pasta is coated in a light sauce.
Scoop onto plates then serve sprinkled with extra parmesan cheese, and enjoy this hearty yet light and healthy meal!
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Gluten-Free Penne with Kale, Butternut Squash and Sausage
Description
Gluten-Free Penne with Kale, Butternut Squash and Sausage is a hearty, healthy 30 minute dinner that satisfies!
Ingredients
- 1/2lb gluten-free or regular penne pasta
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1/2lb Italian sausage
- 4 cups lightly packed chopped curly kale (about 1/2 bunch, stems removed first)
- salt and pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 12oz butternut squash cut into 1” cubes
- 1-1/2 cups chicken broth
- 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Directions
- Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage then cook through, breaking it up as it cooks. Add kale then season lightly with salt and pepper and saute until slightly wilted, 1 minute. Add garlic then saute for 1 more minute. Add butternut squash and chicken broth then bring mixture to a boil. Cover skillet then turn heat down to medium and simmer until butternut squash is very tender and can be easily mashed with a wooden spoon, 12-15 minutes. Mash butternut squash until almost completely smooth - a few chunks are fine!
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil then add pasta and cook until just under al dente (pasta will finish cooking in the sauce.) Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water then drain and add pasta to the skillet with parmesan cheese and remaining Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil. Stir until pasta is coated in a light sauce, adding the reserved pasta cooking water a little at a time as needed. Serve topped with additional parmesan cheese.
Notes
Slightly adapted from Giada de Laurentiis.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Emily @ Sweet Summer Smiles 02.03.2015
I get so excited when I see pictures of snow! I live in Orlando and I’ve worn my coat once this winter! haha Your pasta looks so delicious! I can’t wait to try it myself!
Mackenzie 02.03.2015
I am so thankful for gluten free pasta and 30 minute meals like these. and snow days.
Debtgirl 02.03.2015
Ah. When you mention weather I always feel like I am bragging. Well maybe just a little! Can you imagine 75? But in all honesty we do need the rain on So Cal but it’s great for golf! :-)
Trang's corner 02.03.2015
I’m so excited to try this recipe. So delicious! So inspirational!
http://www.trangscorner.com
Alex Pearsons 02.02.2015
Looks fabulous!
It never snows hear, and I don’t follow the Super Bowl (or the NFL for that matter) but I watch out for new entries on your blog!
The squash and sausage blend well (we used to make squash and ground pork stews here in Australia). I never thought of turning it into pasta though.
Kids hate kale, so I’m thinking of putting in spinach instead! Thanks for the heads up!
Jana 02.02.2015
Saw your pampered chef wooden spoon, love those! Have you ever used the mix and chop? I had it forever before I started using it, now I use it constantly! It works great to break up hamburger, sausage, etc. I thought of it when you were talking about breaking up the squash, it would be perfect for that! :)
Stephanie @ Girl Versus Dough 02.02.2015
I never thought I’d say this, but I’m actually kind of jealous of everyone who got snow this weekend — we got nada! I guess I’ll have to drown my sorrows in a big bowl of this scrumptious looking pasta. ;)
Terri 02.02.2015
I’m a kale hater, but this looks good. I will try it out.
Candy Leggett 02.02.2015
This pasta looks really good. We also made the Thai chicken tenders for the game last night! A new favorite I’m adding to the rotation!!
Kristan 02.02.2015
Oh my goodness, I was so happy when Missy Elliot came out…it was a nice break from the dancing beach balls. This is recipe looks great, thanks!
Katherine 02.02.2015
This is exactly my kind of food! I think that for a dish like this, pre cut butternut squash is perfect. Cutting it and peeling it and deseeding it just sounds like too much work most days.
Chicago Jogger 02.02.2015
I love that you added squash to this pasta dish! Looks like the perfect winter dinner.
Heidi 02.02.2015
We made the Sticky Thai chicken for our Super Bowl treat. WOW!!! We devoured them and my husband asked when we were making them again. He suggested next weekend.
Thank you!
Allison 02.02.2015
I’m glad you are honest about your recipe failures. Sometimes I suspect that even when recipes don’t turn out that great, bloggers post about them and talk them up. Then we try them and it’s like, what?! So thank you for saving us all from your recipe mistakes and only posting the good ones. :)
Megan 02.02.2015
Where did you find the pre-cubed butternut squash? That would save me a lot of time!
Maryea {Happy Healthy Mama} 02.02.2015
I love the looks of this dish!! So many great flavors + nutrients. :) And the snow pictures are gorgeous. Good thing snow is so pretty! It makes up for the freezing weather that comes with it. Almost.
Liz @ Floating Kitchen 02.02.2015
Your snow photos are gorgeous! We are getting slammed again in New England today. It’s pretty, but I’m kind of ready to be done now! This pasta dish is so up my alley. Love everything about it!
Kristina 02.02.2015
Do you use Barilla GF spaghetti noodles too? I haven’t tried theirs. My daughter’s favorite is by Simply Balanced but it’s a pain in the rear to cook – the noodles clump together really bad and I’m forced to peel them apart during cooking. :( I’ve dealt with it so far though because she actually likes the taste and texture and I don’t want to throw out another pot of GF pasta!
Lindsey 02.02.2015
If you need a pick-me-up after some less than stellar recipes, you’ll be happy to know we had an all IGE Super Bowl party last night! On the menu, were Sticky Thai chicken fingers (the BEST!), Buffalo Chicken Cheesesteaks, Jalapeño Popper Potato Skins, and rounded out with Copycat Doubletree Chocatw Chip Cookies! Everything was so amazing! Thanks for all of your great ideas!
Kathleen 02.02.2015
I used to always forget to save pasta water for recipes…so I stopped dumping my pot of pasta into a strainer. Instead I use tongs (spaghetti) or a large slotted spoon(penne) to add the pasta to my sauce. That leaves me with a full pot of water to work with, and one less large dish to wash!