Butternut Squash Fenugreek Pasta with Goats Cheese

Before going to the recipe, I would like to jot down a few points on Butter Nut Squash, for ignorant people like us :)

When looking at butternut squash nutrition facts, you should notice all the right ingredients for fat burning; low in calories, no fat, no cholesterol and no sodium. You should also notice a moderate carb, protein and fiber count. This is the recipe for fat burning, but squash is more than a pretty vegetable! In addition to the fat burning nutrients, butternut squash nutrition facts reveal a host of vitamins and minerals. Butternut squash is an excellent source of vitamin A, providing nearly 300% of your daily value! But that’s not all; there are significant amounts of vitamin C, E, K, B6, folate and thiamin. Although butternut squash is a fat free food, with less than 0.1 grams of fat, it does have more than 30 micrograms of omega-3 fatty acids and over 22 mcg of omega-6 fatty acids; both are essential fatty acids for healthy body functions.

Butternut Squash is not native to India and is often refer to the Pumpkin family as ‘’Kaddu’’ in Hindi.  I never  cooked with this Wonder vegetable since I find it hard to cut and peel it, tried it once couldn’t get the courage to follow the long procedure again. But last weekend when I saw the Butternut Squash pieces kept in M&S Food store, I was keen to try this immediately. Got two packets straight away, without having any recipe in mind. Most of it went to the Chapathi dough ( yes, I mix anything and everything leftover in my chapathi dough ) and the rest of the puree was kept in the Fridge.

Luckily, I got some time off on a  weekday and grabbed the chance immediately. I love experimenting with various sauces of Pasta so I tried mixing this one too along with the other leftover, Fenugreek in my Kitchen. Needless to say, the outcome was fabulous and lip smacking. The bitterness of Methi and Sweet taste of Butternut Squash complimented each other so well, I have got the idea for my next Soup as well :)

The problem I got with this dish was that I over baked it and it hampered the slipperiness of the Pasta when done. Hence the sticky pasta is quite visible in my pics too. But you don’t go ahead and over do this, max 10 min else you will get the taste but not the smooth Pasta we all love.

Ingredients:
2 cups Butter nut squash , cubed
1 cup Fenugreek leaves (Methi)
2 cups uncooked Pasta
2-3 cloves Garlic
1 Large onion, chopped
A pinch of Black pepper
Salt to taste
1 cup Tomato Sauce
1 tbsp Butter
1/4 cup Sour Cream
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup Goats Cheese  or Cheddar Cheese

Preparation:

• Cut the Butternut Squash into pieces and boil it till tender, puree it in a blender when cool. Keep aside
• Chop the Fenugreek very fine and wash well. Keep aside. What I tend to do is I give it a pulse in the Food Processor for once before washing so its dry and hence get finely chopped it seconds. And then I wash it properly. It works well for me, try this once and let me know how you did it.
• Cook Pasta according to the Packet instructions and keep aside.
• Preheat Oven at 180 Degrees while we prepare the sauce

Method: 

• While Pasta is boiling, heat oil in a pan, Sauté Garlic in it till light brown. Add onion and fry till light pink.
• Add the Butternut Squash Puree and cook for 7-8 min on low flame.  Keep stirring in between to avoid it sticking. Usage of non-stick pan is preferred for this. Add salt to taste and a pinch of Black pepper.
• Add Fenugreek leaves and mix well. Turn off the flame, Keep aside.
• Prepare Tomato Sauce , see the recipe here Or you can use Store Bought as well. I would like to remind you here that in My tomato sauce, I use all herbs and spices hence I have not added any of them in the Butternut Sauce. If you are using store bought Tomato  Sauce or you are not adding herbs to it, lease go ahead and season the Butternut Sauce as per your choice. Usage of Oregano, Parsley and Nutmeg serves well with this.
• Grease a baking dish and pour the tomato sauce In it. Fill in the Pasta on top and then  the Butternut sauce. Toss everything just a little, don’t over mix it. Bake for 5 minutes in a preheated oven. 
• Take it out once, toss once again and now spread Sour Cream on top. Bake again for 5-6 minutes on 150 degrees.
• Take out, serve hot with the Parmesan Cheese and Goats cheese pieces on top, you many also swerve some more Sour Cream  for that creamy taste.

Notes:

• Although the use of Goats Cheese and Sour Cream is optional, but if you will include any one or both of these items, it will definitely enhance the taste of the final Luxury.
• You can also use Cheddar Cheese in place of Goats Cheese.