Squash Alfredo Corkscrews: Not Healthy, but Delicious

I am weak when it comes to pasta.

This meal proves that I'm a junk food vegetarian.  I said previously that I didn't really like acorn squash.  If I blend it up and put it over pasta, apparently I find it delicious.  I guess the problem is that it vaguely resembled something good for me before.

I've mentioned that I'm trying to cut out gluten and processed foods, but it's hard for me to do.  I work 12 hour shifts, and most of my years of cooking experience have centered around pasta.  I can throw together a pasta meal in a few minutes, and it will taste wonderful.  Trying to come up with something gluten free often takes me hours.  I'll blog later about what I think about the low glycemic pastas everyone loves (the short: I agree with Jimmy Moore, they affect my blood sugar just like regular pasta).

I had an acorn squash in the fridge that I hadn't figured out what to do with, and I was hungry.  Corkscrew this gluten free thing, I'm making a pasta dish. This dish was made with some whole wheat twists or spiralini, but I'm not pretending they are any healthier than regular pasta.  Just check the nutrition facts. 

When I sampled the plain acorn squash, I immediately thought it had the tang and texture to be a delicious Alfredo.  So, I decided to try it.

Mock Alfredo (Serves 4)
1 Acorn Squash
Olive oil, cinnamon, salt and pepper to season
2 cups broccoli florets, chopped
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons sour cream
Parmesean cheese to taste
Cooked pasta (I used about 3 cups of spiralini, but you can use whatever.  It'd be best on something the sauce can stick to like rigatoni or penne)

1. Cut the squash into quarters, sprinkle it with some olive oil, a pinch of cinnamon, salt and pepper and bake it for about an hour, until tender.
2. While baking, steam the broccoli
3. Take two of the squash quarters (see step 6) and puree them in a food processor or blender with about 1/2 cup of milk, 2 tablespoons of sour cream and a handful of Parmesan cheese.  I would add the milk last, because the amount you need really depends on how moist your squash is.  I wanted a slightly thick sauce consistency.
4. Toss the pasta and sauce together.
5. Cut the remaining squash into cubes and carefully toss the cubes and broccoli florets in with the pasta.
6. If you don't like the consistency of squash, you can puree the entire squash and use it as a sauce.  I thought the cubes made it more interesting.
7. Top with Parmesan cheese if desired.

I thought it was quite delicious.  Even if I’m delusional about the pasta being good for me, I know the meal was at least healthier than traditional Alfredo.  A way to make it extra healthy would be to add an extra cup of broccoli and only use a cup or two of pasta, so you get more broccoli than pasta.


Nutrition Facts

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Amount Per Serving (makes 4)

Calories:  391.9

Total fat: 13.6 g

Protein: 31 g

Total carbohydrate:  47.8 g

• Dietary Fiber: 16.3 g
• Sugar: 3.7 g

For comparison, Olive Garden's Fettuccine Alfredo has 1220 calories.  To be fair, their dinner portion is at least 2 portions, so it probably evens out.   Ok, I admit it.  I had two servings of this too.  Pasta is like crack.  You can't resist the urge to go back for seconds.  Though, looking at the carbs and calories, maybe I should have.