It’s officially spring, but you may still have some winter squash to use up. What will you do with it? After roasting some acorn squash, I put some away in the freezer for later while some went into a pasta sauce with chicken. It’s just about the easiest way ever to sneak some extra veggies into your meal. That’s how you can eat more vegetables even when you don’t like them.
Finding some kale in the refrigerator and some chicken in the freezer, I pulled some whole wheat penne out of the pantry and began to create. While the water boiled for the pasta, I diced an onion and minced some garlic. Into a skillet with olive oil they went. Next, the chopped kale stems. Yes, we eat all of our leafy greens; stems and all. You don’t have to, but there’s nothing wrong with them. They just need a little head start on cooking to get tender. Some chicken broth and the acorn squash got whisked into the mix before adding the chopped kale leaves. What other greens might you use?
As I looked around for something interesting to season all of this, I decided on a little umami boost thanks to some white miso. So, after heating the chicken in the vegetable sauce and adding the cooked pasta to that skillet, I put some of the pasta cooking water into a cup and whisked in a little miso paste to taste. The idea is to make a smooth slurry of miso without killing all the probiotic benefits by cooking further. Then I added it to the pasta with the chicken and acorn squash sauce, stirring until incorporated. Grated a little parmesan on top and served.
I used chicken in this dish because it was handy, but all kinds of seafood would have been great too. What about making the kale into a pesto with walnuts for a vegan version? Hmm…I’m getting ideas about the squash that I put away into the freezer for later…How would you combine these ideas and fish? Read How to Quickly Poach Fish That’s Delicious for a simple suggestion.