Corinne and I bought a fat ugly peanut pumpkin (AKA Galeux d’Eysines) early in October that pureed down to like 3.5 gallon sized Ziploc bags worth of pumpkin. That’s a lot of pumpkin by most standards, even for pumpkin lovers. Corinne isn’t a pumpkin lover and I have historically LOVED one piece of pumpkin pie, one piece of pumpkin bread, and maybe one pumpkin spice latte per season before getting over it.
Much like our one-eared cat or favorite busted up coffee mug; this peanut pumpkin was ugly, rejected, and instantly won over my heart. I knew it was destined for deliciousness. The folks at Whole Foods didn’t even know what it was, how to charge for it at first, or why I could possibly want such a hideous warty monster, which was oddly satisfying for me…
Anyway – even though we made all that puree to experiment with various breads, cakes, and other sweets – this little pasta dish proved to be our absolute favorite use of the squash. It is creamy without being heavy, flavorful without being overwhelming, and filling without making you lethargic. It’s like the perfect comfort food for when you don’t have a couch to immediately crash on afterwards.
I definitely recommend sticking with the fusilli pasta style (although I suspect tagliatelle would also work well), because those little corkscrews do a magical job at capturing all that creamy squashy goodness in every bite. As for the sausage, it is completely optional and this would make a very hearty vegetarian dish, I personally enjoy the added texture and flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 cups pureed squash
- 1/2 cup minced shallots
- 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan
- 1/2 cup Cream or Milk
- 12-16 oz Mild Italian Sausage
- Black Pepper
- Salt
- 2 Sprigs Rosemary
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 16 oz Fusilli
Instructions
- Heat a large sauce pan on medium-high heat
- Add oil, minced garlic, shallots, rosemary and sausage and cook until the sausage is lightly browned
- Add in the remaining ingredients (less the pasta) and simmer for 20-30 minutes
- Add the sauce to cooked pasta and serve to any squash-doubters you have in your life!