Pasta with Spicy Sausage, Baby Spinach and Creamy Butternut Sauce

*Recipe by Gina @ Skinnytaste.com

Ingredients:

10oz of spicy chicken Italian sausage
1 lb butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 tbsp light butter (I cant believe its not butter)
10 oz casarecce, or pasta of your choice
1/4 cup shallots, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
2 tbsp fresh shaved parmesan cheese
4 sage leaves, sliced thin
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add butternut squash and cook until soft. Remove squash with a slotted spoon and place in a blender, blend until smooth.

Add pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions for al dente, reserving at least 1 cup of the pasta water before draining.

Meanwhile, in a large deep non-stick skillet, sauté sausage over medium heat until browned, breaking up with a spoon as it cooks. When cooked through, set aside on a plate.

Reduce heat to medium-low and melt the butter, sauté the shallots and garlic until soft and golden, about 5 – 6 minutes. Add pureed butternut squash, season with with salt and fresh cracked pepper and add a little of the reserved pasta water (I used about 1 cup) to thin out the sauce to your liking. Add baby spinach and stir in parmesan cheese and sage