Creamy Butternut Pasta

The other day, I was standing in line at Home Goods where I had popped in to see if they had one particular item, and so naturally, I had a cart full of stuff that I really, really, really needed, when the woman in front of me suddenly turned around and peered into my cart.

“Are you a decorator?” she asked.

I looked down at my weird assortment of bath mats, hangers, mixed nuts and a cutting board and tried to puzzle out what kind of bizzarro world I lived in where I was using hangers and nuts to decorate.  Maybe a tree house made of hangers for a squirrel?  Perhaps a family of chipmunks that enjoyed a nice long bath while munching on select nuts and seeds? Where was she going with this?

“Um, no,” I responded.

“Oh, then what do you do?” she demanded.

Still not sure where she was going with this, but I decided not to say, ” I was thinking of eating the nuts, hanging up some clothes and using the bath mats on the floor, but I could just as easily eat the hangers, hang the bath mats and put the nuts on the floor. Which way would you go with this?” Instead, I said, ” I am a vegan food coach and recipe developer.”

And, cue the crickets…………

I could not have gotten a weirder look if I had told her that I was planning on eating the hangers with a side of bath mats for dessert. Or maybe I should have said that I was a paper towel sniffer, water slide tester or professional cuddler.  She couldn’t have backed away any faster.

Once she had the safety of the carts between us, she then proceeded to tell me that she had just won a cutting board like the one I had in my cart but that it had been a base for a vase full of silk flowers and she had given it to her friend, because she lives in Ohio and she couldn’t take it back on the plane with her.

Now, I’m not usually at a loss for words, but this one had me stumped.  She was standing in Home Goods with a cart full of, well, home goods, in a state that was clearly NOT Ohio. and she had just given away a vase and cutting board because she couldn’t take them on the plane back with her. Hmmmmm. So was she looking for decorating tips for her plane seat so she could get on board with her Home Goods haul and pass it off as carry-on items?  Was she maybe planning to redecorate the departure gate so that it had homier feel to it?  Perhaps she was tired of riding in plain, old Ubers, and wanted to upgrade to one that felt a bit more cozy?

Sadly, I will never know the answer to any of these questions because at that moment, the next register opened up and off she went. It’s still keeping me up at nights wondering where all her stuff ended up. 😉 Maybe with the lucky friend?

Ingredients:

• 3 cups diced butternut squash cubes
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sliced onion
• 1 cup ricotta (cashew or store bought)
• 3 Tablespoons fresh sage, chopped fine plus more for the top
• 1  1/2 -3 cups reserved pasta water (after cooking the pasta)
• 1 lb. pasta (I use brown rice pasta), reserve cooking water

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400
2. Toss the squash and onions in the olive oil and salt( for oil free, use vegetable broth instead).  Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 20-30 minutes till tender but not browned. You can cover it with foil if they start to get brown. Remove from oven and cool.
3. Puree squash and onions with the ricotta and pasta water (add enough to reach desired consistency) till smooth and creamy.
4. Toss the sauce with the pasta and stir in the sage.  Serve topped with additional sage.

Enjoy!