Sausage and Kale Pasta with Butternut Squash

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add butternut squash and gently boil until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes, using a slotted spoon, remove squash and blend in a blender or food processor until smooth, scraping down the sides as you blend.

Add pasta to the same water and return to a boil. Cook according to package directions for al dente. When finished, reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining. Return pasta to pot.

While the pasta is cooking, remove sausage from its casings and in a large deep skillet, add olive oil and saut sausage over medium heat until browned. Break up the sausage with a spoon or spatula as it cooks. Add the shallots and garlic and continue to cook until the shallots are soft, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Add the pureed butternut squash, season with salt and pepper and add small amounts of the reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce to your liking, about 1/2 to 1 cup. Add chopped baby kale and sage and stir in parmesan cheese until melted and kale is wilted. Mix together with cooked pasta and stir together.