This dinner kind of looks like a hamburger helper meal but it tastes SO MUCH BETTER than one! The great thing it's a spectacular way to get your kids (or husband) to eat squash because it's hidden in the sauce.

(Gluten-Free, Corn-Free, Nut-Free, Can be Dairy-Free)
Adapted by jalene from a recipe by Rachel Ray
Ingredients:
- 8 oz gluten-free spiral or penne pasta
- 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ½ lb pork sausage (natural with no msg, GF)
- 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (see note)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup heavy cream or coconut milk if making dairy-free
- 1/8 to 1/4 tsp sea salt
- pinch of fresh ground pepper
- 1/4 tsp dried sage powder
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Salt water, cook pasta to al dente.
- While pasta is cooking, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add sausage, brown and crumble while cooking. Add garlic and cook 3-4 minutes.
- In a blender, add squash puree, chicken broth, coconut milk, salt, pepper, 1 Tbsp oil, sage, and nutmeg. Blend until smooth.
- Pour sauce over sausage, add pasta and stir until combined. Serve warm.
Notes from jalene:
- Preheat oven to 425. Split squash in half, scoop our seeds, rinse and dry them, drizzle with olive oil, and place on a small baking sheet. Cook until tender.
- Scoop our squash and add to food processor. Puree until smooth.
- Freeze bags with 1 cup puree for easy future use.
*I noticed my brown rice noodles sucked up a lot of the moisture from the sauce after being in the fridge overnight so if you're having leftovers, you can add a little more chicken stock to revive it.
*My 1 year old has a hard time eating rice noodles. I think it's a texture thing. I got her to eat this meal by cutting up the noodles very small and adding 1/2 cup hot chicken broth to make a soup. She loved it then!