Pasta Sausage Squash and Swiss Chard

Donna Clark - Cooking at Clark Towers

This would be a great weeknight meal, it comes together pretty quickly

Total Time 35

Servings 6

1 box of penne pasta
2 cups diced butternut squash 1/2 inch pieces mine was larger than this
4 cups lightly packed chopped swiss chard
3 links sweet italian sausage casing removed and broken up diced for a chunk works too
1/2 cup finely chopped shallot
2-3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 tablespoon flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes optional

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 2 minutes. Add the squash and cook for 6 minutes. add the chard and cook until the pasta is tender. 1 to 2 minutes longer. Drain and return to the pot.
Combine sausage, shallot and butter to a large saute pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallot is soft about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and the thyme and cook another minute. Sprinkle with flour cook stirring for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and cook whisking occasionally until the sauce starts to thicken. About 5 minutes. Stir in the cheese season with salt and pepper to taste. sprinkle with a little crushed red pepper to your liking. Cook until the cheese melts and the sauce is thick.
Pour the sauce mixture over the pasta mixing to coat, serve with extra grated cheese.

You can find butternut squash generally peeled and diced in large supermarkets to make it easier

Adapted from Eating Well