Penne with Butternut Squash & Italian Sausage

Also known as one of my very favorite fall meals.

This recipe is delicious. The combination of sweet and tender butternut squash, sage, sweet Italian sausage and garlic is sublime. Patrick made me smile last week when he saw the recipe card laying on the kitchen counter and said, with a sigh, "I miss that meal..."

He was in for a treat last week because it was on the menu. I made it for our weekly Thursday night dinner with the Akins family and all of us - including the two kiddos - liked it (although, I do think the kids liked the penne and sausage part of the meal a little more than the squash part).

All this coming from someone who rarely eats squash. I LOVE this meal, and it's perfect to help usher in the fall season. Hope you enjoy!

Sorry for the lack of photo. I was so looking forward to eating that I forgot to snap a picture until my plate was clean.

Penne with Butternut Squash & Italian Sausage
Recipe courtesy of a dear family friend, Joan Coffey
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 1/4 lb. sweet Italian sausage, crumbled (remove casings first)*
2 tablespoons minced garlic
Pinch of crushed red pepper - optional
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage
8 ounces penne pasta
2 ounces (1/2 cup) shredded Parmesan cheese

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat; add olive oil and swirl to coat pan. Add squash and cook until browned. Transfer to a bowl. Cook sausage until well browned and drain. Stir in garlic and red pepper and cook 1 minute. Add wine and simmer 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Return squash to pan; add chicken broth and sage. Bring to boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer until squash is very tender, 10-12 minutes (stir occasionally). Cook pasta al dente. Gently combine pasta and squash/sausage mixture. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serves 6.

*At first, I had the hardest time finding sweet Italian sausage. I once broke down and bought it at this fancy-schmancy gourmet grocery store on the Island and paid something like $20 for it. Never again! (By the way, with prices like that, the store is now out of business.) I have found, thankfully, Johnsonville's sweet Italian sausage in the freezer case at Publix. It's nowhere near $20.