Chicken Butternut Squash Pasta
Oh, you guys.
This week. Sunday night I was very nearly asleep around 11:30pm when I remembered SUPER MOON! Or whatever it was called. So I jumped out of bed, ran to the bathroom, and put in one contact (because I don’t own glasses and will be totally screwed if I ever have an eye issue where I can’t wear contacts and need glasses).
(side note: gotta hate when you forget to remove the price tag from your olive oil bottle…see below.)
But yes. I put in one contact and covered the other eye with my hand and ran outside to see…clouds. It was so cloudy. No super moon for me, which was such a bummer because growing up my mom fostered a real love in me for the stars and the moon.
Growing up, if there was going to be a meteor shower that night, my mom would wake us up in the middle of the night (even school nights) and we’d go outside and she’d have blankets on the driveway and we’d all lay and watch the shooting stars until we fell asleep.
AND whenever I would get homesick and my mom was far away I would call her and she’d say look at the moon. I’m looking at the same moon. And that always made me feel comforted that we were somehow connected by looking at the same moon. So…ugh. I really wanted to see the super moon, maybe next time. (is there even a next time?!!)
Over it (but clearly not really). Something I will never be over is that black truffle sea salt. I’m not an obsessed truffle person…but I do love that sea salt. And I do love Laguna Beach.
Another thing I will never get over…the chicken butternut squash macaroni from Snap Kitchen. There’s a Snap not too far from my work and I love popping in when I conveniently forget my lunch at home. While their dish is hard to beat, I decided to make my own version at home.
So I’ve eaten this now for 2 lunches in a row and while delicious I’m so not a eat the same meal prepped lunch for lunch everyday type of person. But then I remember goat cheese (!) and decide that yes! Yes I can eat the same thing for lunch again because goat cheese.
And there’s walnuts in the chicken that give an awesomely unexpected crunch. Plus ground chicken was made to be cooked in balsamic vinegar. I feel so heart eyes emoji about it.
So here we are. Well, I don’t know where you are, but I’m likely fork deep in goat cheese. If you’re into the meal prep on Sunday thing, this would be perfect for that.
Chicken Butternut Squash Pasta
Yield: makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground chicken
1/3 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 1/2 cups butternut squash, cubed into 1/2" cubes
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 oz goat cheese
3 cups whole wheat pasta
1 teaspoons garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
5 large fresh basil leaves, chiffonade (fingers crossed I spelt that right!)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400ºF. On a sheet pan, toss together butternut squash, 2 tablespoons olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring once, or until butternut squash is soft. Meanwhile, you're gonna want to get your pasta going. Boil some water and cook pasta according to package directions. Strain pasta through a colander and set aside.
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add in garlic and cook, stirring frequently until garlic is toasted, about 1 minute. Add in ground chicken and cook, again stirring frequently, until chicken is cooked. Add in walnuts, balsamic and nutmeg and reduce heat to low, allowing balsamic to reduce for a couple minutes. Then divide pasta among 4 containers (if taking for lunches for the week) or 4 plates (if eating right away). Then top with the ground chicken mixture, roasted butternut squash, goat cheese and basil. Eat warm! Om nom nom.