Butternut Squash Pesto Spaghetti

Squash pesto spaghetti dish for adults.  Last week I had posted regarding double dipping meals, cooking for a little baby but also preparing something for ourselves.  While Lily was enjoying her butternut squash carrot meal, we were enjoying a butternut squash pesto pasta bowl.  The turn out was two birds with one stone.  At first combining the butternut squash with pesto seemed different and a bit odd but in the end it was a delicious decision.  If you’d like to try it out I’m including the directions below.

Butternut Squash pesto spaghetti dinner:

Preparation time: for me an it was an estimated 85 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 Butternut squash (halved)
• 1.5 tablespoons of olive oil for butternut squash(butter can be used as a substitute) [Estimated quantity, you can put as much as you feel you want on your squash]
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil for the garlic and peppers
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• baby bell peppers (as much as you prefer)
• 2 cloves of chopped garlic
• Pesto sauce
• Pasta

Steps:

1. Wash butternut squash and cut it in half.  Scoop out the middle and clean seeds.
2. Toss the seeds in a light coating of olive oil and salt.  Toast the seeds in the oven for about 10 mins at 325 degrees.
3. Rub olive oil on the butternut squash and sprinkle lightly with salt.
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 65 mins total.
5. At 45 mins. of baking I check the tenderness of the butternut squash by poking a fork into it and switched the position of the halves (to create a more even cook) and cook it for another 20 mins.
6. Take out the butternut squash and let it cool for at least 10 mins.
7. Cook pasta.
8. In a frying pan, put in your chopped garlic, baby bell peppers and olive oil. Simmer for a few mins until the garlic turns golden but don’t let it burn.
9. Pour the pesto sauce (I add a little bit of milk to my pesto sauce) into the frying pan and combine with the garlic and peppers.
10. Cut butternut squash into cube pieces.
11. Mix pesto sauce with peppers and garlic into your pasta.
12. Stir in the butternut squash cubes.
13. Top with toasted butternut squash seeds.
14. Most importantly, enjoy!