Butternut Squash Pasta Skillet

A few weeks ago, I made butternut squash lasagna, but had a HUGE squash that left me with leftovers.  I ended up freezing the filling, and pulled it out one evening for an in-a-pinch dinner.  

I boiled some pasta, added frozen peas, and topped it off with Parmesan cheese. 

This is a delicious dinner.  If you want it to go together in about 20 minutes, cook your squash ahead of time and keep the base in the freezer.  

Butternut Squash Pasta Skillet - Finding Joy in My Kitchen

1 1/2 C peas
2-3 C pasta, uncooked
1 1/2 lb. butternut squash
1 T olive oil
1/4-1/2 tsp. sea salt
pepper
1 T (or a bit less) butter
2 T minced garlic
2 T whole wheat flour
2 C milk


Slice squash in half, sprinkle with sea salt and brush with olive oil.  Roast, covered, at 450 degrees for 45ish minutes, until squash meat is tender when pricked with a fork.

Allow the squash to cool for ~15 minutes, and then scoop the insides out.  I ended up with about 3 C squash.

While the squash cools, saute the garlic in a pad of butter.

Mix the flour and milk together in a large measuring cup.  Add the milk mixture to the skillet, stirring as you add.  Then, add in the squash.

Stir to blend; heat until warmed throughout and the mixture thickens.  At this point, freeze the mixture if you'd like!

Boil the pasta until done to taste.  Use any kind of pasta you want; I've used both whole wheat and regular pasta.  Both are tasty, they just add slightly different textures.

Meanwhile, add the peas to the squash mixture.  I used frozen peas and added them frozen.

Simmer until warmed, and then stir in the pasta.

Sprinkle on Parmesan cheese, and season with sea salt and pepper, as desired.  Stir the cheese and salt and pepper.

Serve warm.

Enjoy!

This recipe is linked to: 5 Dollar Dinners, What's on Your Plate? Ingredient Spotlight, URS