Butternut Squash Penne

Happy Friday everyone!!  This week I am attempting to eat very healthy and to workout on a regular basis.  I mean it's June 11th, summer is here, and if I don't eat healthy and workout now then it will never happen! I had a good streak going in March/April, but since coming back from my whirlwind trip to Vegas it's been a slippery slope.  I love to cook, and therefore to eat.  However, I could admittedly start cooking with some more healthful ingredients, and going easy on the olive oil, butter, and meat.  Therefore, I present to you a surprisingly low fat and low calorie meal that is quite tasty: butternut squash penne with thyme!  The ingredients you will need are as follows:

20 oz. butternut squash peeled and cubed (I couldn't find the peeled and cubed fresh squash at Wegmans this week so I used the frozen mashed squash as a substitute).
1 1/4 cup skim milk
2 Tbsp. flour
2 tsp. minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 box smart taste penne

Start by preparing the squash.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray a baking sheet with any cooking spray (so it doesn't stick) and bake squash in the oven for 20-30 minutes.  Take out and place in a bowl; mash.  Alternatively, use the frozen mashed squash, which can be found in the frozen vegetables section.  I defrosted it in the microwave and mashed to get the lumps out.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the milk, flour, garlic, salt and pepper (I used some red cayenne pepper for a kick!).  Bring to a boil over medium heat, but make sure to keep whisking so the milk doesn't stick to the bottom.  Reduce heat and let milk mixture simmer.  It will start to thicken.  Remove from the heat once it has gotten thick, and slowly add the mashed butternut squash.  Add 2 1/2 tsps. thyme and whisk everything together.

Meanwhile, you can bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the penne to your liking.  I recommend cooking it 'al dente' because it will cook more once put in the oven.

Once pasta and sauce are both ready, mix the pasta and the sauce together in the large pot.  Then add in walnuts (if you like nuts).  Have a baking dish prepared and sprayed with cooking spray.  Put pasta mixture into this baking dish.  Sprinkle half the parmesan cheese onto the pasta mixture and mix in.  Then dot the top of the pasta with spoonfulls of the ricotta, and sprinkle remaining parmesan cheese on top.

Bake in the 375 degree oven until the top is lightly browned, about 20-30 minutes.  Sprinkle the top with remaining thyme.

This dish was really very tasty.  Of course adding butter and whole milk to the sauce would have made it tastier, not to mention more cheese, but the goal here was to have a hearty and filling dish that was light on the fat.  The butternut squash really helped to thicken the sauce and gave it a great taste, and the walnuts added a nice crunch to this dish.  The ricotta cheese didn't hurt either!  I thought this was a great meal and hopefully you will too! Kali Oreksi.