Just a little chocolate . . .

(Sorry meant to post this last night but got home late after seeing my husband’s band at an open mic -they rocked!- and was in bed before I remembered I forgot to post! – sorry )

I had friends over for dinner on Saturday and decided to try a recipe that I saw in this month’s issue of Self. The recipe is for Butternut Squash and Fried Sage Pasta – sounded unique, delicious, healthy and not too complicated.

You can have the pasta an entrée however, I was feeding 2 men (my husband and brother-in-law) that think a meal must have some form of meat – so I knew I needed to treat the pasta as a side and add some protein. I chose to bake whole chicken breasts. Bone in chicken breats are cheaper and any meat on the bone tends to be moister; I often forget about bone in meat as I am a creature of habit and mainly stick with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, lean ground turkey, shrimp and fish but you have to mix it up or meals just get a tad bit boring!

The meal turned out to be absolutely delicious, easy to make for yourself or a dinner party, and healthy. Here is what I made.

Baked chicken with a basic pan herb sauce

Butternut Squash and Fried Sage Pasta

Green salad with a simple balsamic and olive oil dressing

 I will guide you through what I did and when:

 Chicken: turn over to 350° – take bone in chicken breasts, rub with olive oil (only a bit) salt and pepper, place in a cooking dish and bake for 1 hour

 Meanwhile:

 Prep basic pan herb sauce: dice ¼ cup shallots and 1 tablespoon fresh herbs (thyme, sage, rosemary, parsley, – pick herbs you like or what you have on hand – I used sage, thyme and parsley)

 Prep pasta: pick your sage leaves, slice red onion, peel, seed and cube butternut squash

 Prep salad: lettuce of choice and I added roma tomatoes and sliced cucumbers (put in fridge to crisp)

 (I like to do my prep before guests arrive then I can start cooking and still entertain without rushing around)

 Start recipe for Butternut Squash and Fried Sage Pasta

(By Kerri Conan From the February 2010 Self Magazine Issue)

4 servings (entrée) / 7-8 servings as a side

INGREDIENTS

• 8 oz whole-wheat penne (I used Barilla Plus)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 sage leaves
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 medium butternut squash (about 2 lb), peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

PREPARATION

Cook penne as directed on package. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry sage, turning once, until crisp on both sides, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a paper towel. Add onion and garlic to skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, until soft and golden, about 3 minutes. Add squash, 3/4 cup water, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until squash softens, 5 to 7 minutes. (Note: it took closer to 10-12 minutes for me)

While waiting for squash to cook, make basic pan herb sauce for chicken:

Bring to boil 1/3 cup chicken (or vegetable) stock in medium saucepan, once boiling add minced shallots, cook until soft 3-5 minutes, and 1 bay leaf, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 1 ½ teaspoon lemon juice or white wine vinegar – thicken for 1-2 minutes – take off from heat stir in 1 tablespoon fresh herbs and swirl in 1 tablespoon butter (optional, Note: I used smart balance). Cover.

Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup cooking water. Return pasta to pot and add squash mixture; stir over low heat, adding some reserved cooking water if necessary, until pasta is coated, about 1 minute.

While pasta is in pot with squash mixture, cut the whole chicken breasts in half, arrange on platter and drizzle with herb sauce. Toss salad with a drizzle of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Serve pasta and garnish with cheese and sage.

Enjoy!!!!

Nutrition: 337 calories per serving, 6.5 g fat (1.4 g saturated), 63 g carbs, 10 g fiber, 11 g protein (for pasta dish only)

Since I served the pasta as a side then it made ~8 servings. So, that would make a side of the pasta approximately 169 calories, 177 calories for chicken and herb sauce then approximately 72 calories for salad (1 cup lettuce, ½ roma tomato, ¼ cup cucumber, dressing – olive oil/balsamic). For a total of: 418 calories.

 Note: Pasta recipe form Self Magazine, basic pan herb sauce modified from Joy of Cooking.

Tags: butternut squash, healthy eating, healthy pasta recipe, pasta