Even with the low-carb craze long deceased, pasta has retained its bad-boy reputation.
It’s not entirely undeserved. Pastas made from refined flour (and most pasta is) are pretty close to nutritionally bankrupt. All that white flour can amount to a lot of empty calories. Most have just 1 or 2 grams of fiber and 200 calories per serving.
The whole-wheat options haven’t been much of an option. They tend to the dense and chewy. While I appreciate that in whole-wheat breads, those aren’t characteristics that often play well in pasta.
It hasn’t helped that most home cooks don’t know how to use whole-grain pastas, assuming they can be easily swapped for refined. It’s a nice idea, but it doesn’t always work.
That’s because when it comes to pasta (refined or whole grain), it’s usually best to pair like with like. As in, hearty pastas do best with hearty sauces, while delicate pastas (such as angel hair) take delicate sauces.
And since most whole-grain pastas are naturally heavy, there aren’t many light sauces that work well with them.
With this in mind, I decided to craft a recipe that pairs the heartiest of whole-grain pastas – lasagna noodles – with a sauce that can stand up to its heft. In this case, butternut squash studded with sausage and onions.
Lasagna noodles are an underappreciated pasta. Broken into 2-inch lengths, they provide just the right bulk for the sauce. As the squash softens, its natural sweetness offers a great complement to the assertive sausage.
If you want to cut some of the fat from this recipe, lower-fat turkey sausages would be a good option.
1/2 pound whole-wheat lasagna noodles, broken into medium pieces (roughly 2 inches long)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, cut into thin rounds
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
3 cups cubed winter squash
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until tender, according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and sausage and saute 5 minutes. Add the squash and rosemary and saute another 5 minutes, stirring often.
Add the chicken broth, cover and cook 5 minutes. Remove the cover and cook another 5 minutes, or until squash is tender and broth has reduced by about half.
In a small glass, combine the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water, then stir into the squash and sausage mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 2 minutes.
Add the pasta to the skillet and toss to combine.
Makes 4 servings.
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