So we are into September and now I can start posting Fall recipes – apples and pumpkin of course, but now butternut squash. A shocker for my family since I have only had the squash a couple times, but you know what? Oh. Yum. This recipe turned out awesome and now I want to make it every weekend because it turned out so much better then I anticipated. I didn’t think I could like butternut squash so much, but yeah me. More food to use in different ways. Here is my vegan and gluten-free Butternut Squash (pastaless) Alfredo.

Since the whether, I thought, was cooling down this week (it hit 90 today!) I would make an awesome Alfredo pasta. But I needed a new way to make it, a new ingredient to make it cool and of course good. I thought, why not a butternut squash; not that it is normal or for me or anything but I need to try new things and this is new. But I couldn’t just roast the squash and be done with it, oh no. Add some roasted cauliflower and puree. Some absolutely awesome sauteed mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, and onions with roasted garlic and some fennel. Oh wow, I am telling you I really want to make this again, and again, and again, it turned out so good. I used spaghetti squash instead of noodles and this turned into the healthiest Alfredo imaginable!

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Start by halving the squash’s and scraping everything out of both. Cut the skins of the butternut and and cut into chunks and cut cauliflower in half, or use a small head, and cut off florets for roasting. Coat with a little olive oil and sprinkle black pepper and garlic powder and mix with hands to coat all veg. Pour a little olive oil on the spaghetti squash and sprinkle with black pepper and garlic powder and rub all over, then place cut sides down. Cut top off bulb of garlic and place into middle of some tin foil and pour a little more olive oil and black pepper over. Squeeze foil around garlic. Roast all at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

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After everything is out of the oven and cooled a little, especially the garlic since you have to squeeze it out of it’s jacket, start cutting your onion and celery. Place in saute pan with a couple tablespoons oil with black pepper and roasted garlic. Soften onions and celery while halving the Brussels sprouts. Dump in sprouts and sprinkle in 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seed and mix. Add about a 1/4 cup water and place lid on pan to start softening up sprouts. Chop about eight fresh sage leaves then half that plus the sliced mushrooms to the other veggies and mix. Keep adding a little water while the veggies cook. While veggies are cooking dump the cauliflower and butternut squash to the food processor with the rest of the sage, ground fennel, black pepper, and one cup milk. Turn on FP then through the top pour in rest of the milk. It will be thick like puree so add more milk depending on how loose you want your Alfredo. Scrape your spaghetti squash into noodles and start portioning everything out. Enjoy!

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Butternut Cauliflower Alfredo, 6 servings

1 Butternut Squash, peeled and diced medium
1/2 Large Cauliflower, washed and chopped
1 Spaghetti Squash, halved
1 Bulb Garlic, roasted
2 Small Yellow Onions, diced small
4 Stalks Celery, washed, halved and diced small
1 lbs Brussels Sprouts, halved
16 oz Baby Bella Mushrooms
1 1/2 Tsp Ground Fennel Seed
1 Tbsp Black Pepper
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
8 Leaves Fresh Sage, chopped small
3 C So Delicious Unsweetened Protein Plus Almond Milk
1/2 C Water

1. Set oven to 375 degrees. Get out two baking sheets and line with foil; tear off enough foil to wrap garlic.
2. Halve both squashes and scrape out innards; carefully slice skin off the butternut and cut into small chunks. Halve the cauliflower then slice off florets and set on baking sheet with butternut chunks.
3. Pour a little olive oil, black pepper and garlic powder over cauli and butternut and mix with hands to coat all pieces. Do the same to the spaghetti squash and coat inside and edges. Place cut side down. Cut top off bulb of garlic and place in middle of cut foil and sprinkle with oil and black pepper; squeeze sides around garlic.
4. Bake all of it for 45 minutes.
5. Take out and let cool enough to touch.
6. Slice onions and celery into small pieces then dump in saute pan with a little oil. Sprinkle with black pepper and squeeze in roasted garlic.
7. Halve all Brussels sprouts then dump in pan. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp ground fennel over sprouts and add 1/4 cup water. Mix well then place lid on pan to sweat out.
8. Chop all sage leaves then dump in mushrooms and half the sage into the pan. Add more water if needed and saute until everything is done.
9. In food processor dump in butternut squash, cauliflower, 1 tsp ground fennel, rest of sage, black pepper, and one cup milk. Turn on and process and add the rest of the milk through the top spout. Process until smooth.
10. Scrape spaghetti squash into noodles and portion out.
11. Portion out butternut alfredo then veggies.
12. Enjoy!

Stats:
Calories: 220
Total Fat: 2g
Carbs: 47g
Protein: 11g