PENNE WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH, MUSHROOMS AND SAUSAGE

Entree - Can be lactose and gluten free (READ footnotes)

This recipe is the application of the risotto (you can find it here) into a pasta sauce. I LOVE squashes, butternut squash more than others...

1 lb Italian penne pasta
1 sausages, casing removed and crumbled
8 oz white mushrooms, diced
2 cups butternut squash, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 oz cream cheese
1/3 cup brandy
2 tbsp Italian extra virgin olive oil
Italian Sea salt


Bring water to a boil, then add salt and pasta; stir for the first minute or so, to avoid sticking.

While you wait for the water to boil, prepare the sauce.

In a large saucepan, warm the extra virgin olive oil and sautee onions and sausages until onions are translucent and sausages are lightly browned; now add mushrooms and butternut squash and sautee for 2 more minutes.

Deglaze pan with brandy, when it's evaporated, add a few tbsp of water to keep cooking vegetables, stirring.

Melt the cream cheese with a few tbsp of water and stir it in the sauce, "smashing" some butternut squash pieces with a fork; stir until it's completely incorporated.

Drain pasta al dente (o a little earlier, actually) and transfer it to the saucepan with the sauce. Sautee for a couple minutes, so pasta absorbs the sauce flavor.

Serve immediately, sprinkled with fresh parsley.

This recipe serves 4-6.

- Always remember to save some cooking water, before draining pasta: it will help in case the sauce gets too thick.
- I prefer to use sausage without fennel seeds (bratwurst) because they are overwhelming flavor.
- I used fat free cream cheese, to give a creamy texture.
- For a lactose free version, blend some squash with the pasta cooking water, in order to have a creamy texture. For a gluten free version, use GF Italian pasta (as the one we carry).