Roasted Butternut Squash with Sausage and Kale

Sometimes, I crave a comprehensive dish, and sometimes I crave ingredients, and I end up with a full dish.  This recipe is a product of the latter.  I was inspired by this pasta recipe over at Simply Scratch, and in a move totally uncharacteristic of myself and everything I hold dear, I decided that I didn't need the pasta.  Instead, I wanted kale.

Want to know something?  I didn't miss it.  The pasta, that is.

I know.  You're wondering who is writing this post, because it can't possibly be Hatsie.  I hear you.  

But there's goat cheese!  See, I'm still here.  I'm still me.

I started this dish by roasting some butternut squash.  I'm really into butternut squash.  It's sweet and the texture is divine.

I drizzled the squash with some olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper, and a little cayenne pepper.  I roasted the squash for about 35 minutes until it was soft. 

Meanwhile, I heated a skillet over medium heat and added some Italian sausage.

I browned the sausage and then transferred it to a colander to drain.

I added a whole bunch of stemmed and chopped kale to the skillet and covered with a lid to let it wilt down a bit.

When the kale had wilted and the squash was nice and roasted, I added the sausage and squash to the skillet, tossed to combine, then seasoned with salt and black pepper.

Here's where you have some options: serve this on some pasta or rice, for a nicely balanced meal, or leave the sausage whole and serve the kale and butternut squash on the side.  Me?  I just threw it in a bowl and topped it with creamy, tangy goat cheese.

Everything is better with creamy, tangy goat cheese.

Which brings me back to my original point: ingredients.  I was in the mood for sausage, roasted butternut squash, and kale.  And I'm always in the mood for goat cheese.  Instead of trying to center all these ingredients around some central point, like pasta, I followed my intuition and let it be.  

And it was good.  The sweet butternut squash, the earthy kale, and the spicy sausage paired perfectly together.  The goat cheese did what goat cheese always does--it elevated.  

So even if dinner looks, or seems, a little weird, don't judge.  Just go with it.  You might surprise yourself!  And put some goat cheese on it for goodness sake.  

Here's the recipe!

Roasted Butternut Squash with Sausage and Kale

Ingredients

• 1 medium Butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 bunch kale, ribs removed, and chopped
• salt and pepper
• 3 ounces goat cheese (chevre)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and place cubed squash on the baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Roast in the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until squash is tender.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown sausage, breaking up as you go. When it is browned, transfer to a colander over a bowl and drain. Wipe out the skillet and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and add kale. Place a lid on top so that the kale can wilt. Using a spatula, toss the kale periodically until it is wilted, about 4 minutes.
3. Add sausage and roasted butternut squash to the skillet and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Serve with goat cheese.

Enjoy!