Sunday, November 13, 2011

Broccoli, Basil & Squash Pasta


Happy Monday to ya! If you are as unprepared for another week of work as I am, raise your hand. Or better yet, have some pasta. This recipe from Heidi's 101 Cookbooks turned out to be more unusual than I gave it credit for. I just thought, mac and cheese: done. But really, this pasta has very little to do with what most people would consider "mac and cheese." Not just because sophisticated cheeses Gruyere and aged cheddar take the place of a traditionally yellow combination of whatever you prefer, but because it incorporates vegetables in an unusual way. The broccoli, which some people like to add to the sauce to trick their kids into eating vegetables, is incorporated into the breadcrumbs-- with basil. On top of that, you add oven roasted squash. This is does not come in a blue box, people.


I used an acorn squash and the one draw back was that it took for.ev.er. to peel and chop that thing. I'm no pro and it usually takes some time to prepare things, but I feel like I was at the cutting board working on the same thing for way too long.


Overall, I did like the recipe. The top was crunchy and the cheese combination was a thumbs up. It was slightly sweet to me for pasta, but the addition of sea salt helped. I'm trying to think of another way to use the chopped oven roasted squash bits, they had a really nice taste and texture.


That's all folks. Hope you had a bearable Monday!