I don’t know about you guys, but the craving for pasta lately has been off the charts. I guess it’s the whole “comfort food” thing, or maybe it’s the fact that it’s shelf-stable so we’ve all been stocking up.
I’ve been trying my hand at different recipes and brands, and not too long ago I discovered Banza, a pasta brand made from chickpeas. How good could it be? Well, let me tell you that I have given it to 4 people now and not one of them was able to tell the difference. It’s an EXCELLENT substitute and I’ve been preaching it for a while on my Instagram now. It has less carbs, more protein, and more fiber. WIN WIN WIN.
I saw a few recipes that use butternut squash as a healthier version of mac and cheese, and I decided to give it a shot. What the hell else do we have to do with our time? And the verdict? Delicious! I bet you could add nutritional yeast to this as well, giving it even more cheese vibes, but I added a good amount of parm. Enjoy!
Note: If you have a food processor with that coarse shredding attachment, I would recommend that. I used a box grater and it was a little hard to keep it from slipping from my grip!
Chickpea Pasta with Butternut Squash and Parm
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 1/2 cups grated butternut squash (peel first)
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh sage
- 1/2 lb Casarecce Banza pasta (or some other kind of twisty pasta)
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup pasta water
- 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese (and more for sprinkling after)
Directions
- Set a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, around 8 mins (it’s around the same cook time as regular pasta!)
- While the pasta is cooking, in a large, deep saucepan or pot, heat oil and butter over medium heat. Add squash and sage and cook for 3-4 minutes until squash softens a bit but still has some bite to it.
- Drain the pasta and add directly to the saucepan with squash and sage. Add Kosher salt and 1/2 cup pasta water to the mixture and stir to coat. Cook for an additional 2 minutes or so, adding more pasta liquid as needed to create a “saucy” effect.
- Add parmesan cheese and stir to coat, divide into bowls and top with more parm before serving. YUM!
Thanks as always to FreshDirect for the ingredients!
