August 2, 2022

Pasta Night: Butternut alla Vodka

Pasta Night: Butternut alla Vodka

Personally, I find the question “what’s your favorite food?” offensive. How am I supposed to choose one food, out of all the delicious options out there, to be my favorite? Some days it’s tacos, other days it’s sushi. But recently, it’s pasta. Growing up we never really went to Italian restaurants, so I didn’t realize my deep love and appreciation for the cuisine until much later in life. Now, I’m a pasta GIRLY. I love white sauce, red sauce, vodka sauce, butter sauce, pesto…I really don’t discriminate. One thing everyone should love about pasta is the endless possibilities.

Now, I love the classics: cacio e Pepe, carbonara, bolognese, spaghetti alle vongole…but what’s even more fun is coming up with something totally new. This fall I went on a squash spree. I bought delicata, kabocha, acorn, butternut, all in one sitting. I made risotto, I made curry, I roasted it with red pepper flakes and topped it with hot honey. And then I made vodka sauce…with roasted butternut squash. My life was changed for the better in that moment.

This sauce is creamy with a subtle heat from the spicy Italian sausage, but it’s toned down by the refreshing effect of the coconut milk. Want a life hack? Substitute any recipe that has cream in it with coconut milk. It’ll be so much lighter but still creamy, and dairy free! Who doesn’t want less bloat and breakouts from dairy? Now if you’re not a big fan of heat, you can easily swap out the hot Italian sausage for sweet or mild. I would recommend still adding some red pepper flakes, just for a little tickle.

Find more food inspo on Instagram & Pinterest @oliviajoehl.

Butternut alla Vodka
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Butternut alla Vodka

Recipe by Liv Happy Liv WellCourse: MainCuisine: Italian, AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

30

minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 butternut squash

  • 1 lb spicy Italian sausage

  • 1 shallot

  • 4-5 cloves of garlic

  • 1/4 cup tomato paste

  • 1/2 cup vodka

  • 1 can coconut milk

  • 10-12 leaves of fresh basil

  • 16 oz pasta

  • Parmesan cheese

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Boil 6 cups of water over high heat. Add a healthy amount of salt & add pasta. Cook to packaged instructions.
  • Dice butternut squash into 1 inch cubes. Place on a baking sheet and season with olive oil, salt & pepper. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
  • In a deep skillet, add a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Decase sausage and cook until brown. Remove from pan.
  • Add more olive oil to pan and add shallot & garlic. Saute until translucent & fragrant. Add tomato paste and allow to caramelize, about 4-5 minutes. Add vodka and cook out alcohol, another 5-7 minutes. Add coconut milk & basil leaves (whole). Reduce for 5-7 minutes.
  • Add sauce to blender and add butternut squash. Blend until smooth.
  • Add sauce to drained pasta and add sausage. Mix well and serve with grated parmesan.