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This meal proves that I’m a junk food vegetarian. I said previously that I didn’t really like acorn squash. If I blend it up and put it over pasta, apparently I find it delicious. I guess the problem is that it vaguely resembled something good for me before.
I had an acorn squash in the fridge that I hadn’t figured out what to do with, and I was hungry. This dish was made with some whole wheat twists or spiralini, but I’m not pretending they are any healthier than regular pasta. Just check the nutrition facts.
When I sampled the plain acorn squash, I immediately thought it had the tang and texture to be a delicious Alfredo. So, I decided to try it.
- 1 Acorn Squash
- Olive oil, cinnamon, salt and pepper to season
- 2 cups broccoli florets, chopped
- ½ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- Parmesean cheese to taste
- Cooked pasta (I used about 3 cups of spiralini, but you can use whatever. It’d be best on something the sauce can stick to like rigatoni or penne)
- Cut the squash into quarters, sprinkle it with some olive oil, a pinch of cinnamon, salt and pepper and bake it for about an hour, until tender.
- While baking, steam the broccoli
- Take two of the squash quarters (see step 6) and puree them in a food processor or blender with about ½ cup of milk, 2 tablespoons of sour cream and a handful of Parmesan cheese. I would add the milk last, because the amount you need really depends on how moist your squash is. I wanted a slightly thick sauce consistency.
- Toss the pasta and sauce together.
- Cut the remaining squash into cubes and carefully toss the cubes and broccoli florets in with the pasta.
- If you don’t like the consistency of squash, you can puree the entire squash and use it as a sauce. I thought the cubes made it more interesting.
- Top with Parmesan cheese if desired.
I thought it was quite delicious. Even if I’m delusional about the pasta being good for me, I know the meal was at least healthier than traditional Alfredo. A way to make it extra healthy would be to add an extra cup of broccoli and only use a cup or two of pasta, so you get more broccoli than pasta.
For comparison, Olive Garden’s Fettuccine Alfredo has 1220 calories. To be fair, their dinner portion is at least 2 portions, so it probably evens out. Ok, I admit it. I had two servings of this too. Pasta is like crack. You can’t resist the urge to go back for seconds. Though, looking at the carbs and calories, maybe I should have.
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