Answer: the Oxo Julienne Peeler, as seen here. Several months ago I got this little kitchen gadget and LOVE IT: it’s a peeler that makes vegetables into noodles! Then, I lost it, then, upon finding it, broke it, and waited weeks to replace it – when I got the idea to make noodles out of butternut squash! Or…butternut SQUASHTA (yuk yuk). Last night my roommate made a fantastic pasta dish with pine nuts, sage, and browned butter, and the perfect storm happened to create this recipe.
Now, as I’ve mentioned, I eat all foods, and pasta is definitely delicious, but we tend to abuse the portion sizes – have you ever seen a true (2oz dry, 1/2c cooked) serving of wheat noodles? It’s really about the amount that you could fit in your fist to throw in a food fight. High in carbs (40g for just that much!), pretty low in vitamins and minerals, and if it’s not whole grain, low in fiber. An entire cup of butternut squash, on the other side of the scale, has only 16g of carbohydrate and almost 300% of your daily vitamin A.
So here it is: butternut squashta with pine nuts, sage, and mushrooms in brown butter.
Ingredients:
- 1 small butternut squash
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 c pine nuts
- 2 Tbsp fresh chopped sage
- 8oz fresh sliced mushrooms
- salt/pepper to taste
Directions:Boil salted water in a medium pan; meanwhile lightly peel the butternut and then use the Oxo Julienne Peeler (or a mandolin with skinny blades) to shave into noodles.
It takes a little bit of practice; so don’t get frustrated. And you’ll never be able to make the whole thing into noodles; I pulled down FROM the larger end. Next, toss them into the boiling water for 8-10 minutes.
While that’s going, brown the butter in a separate pan by melting it and then letting it continue to cook until light brown (usually medium heat accomplishes this in a few minutes). Add the pine nuts and sage. Put the mushrooms in a small bowl with waxed paper on top and nuke them on high for 4 minutes, or until soft and juicy. (Why not add them in with the butter? Because raw mushrooms are like sponges, and will greedily soak it all up!). Add the cooked mushrooms to the butter, toss in some salt and pepper, and add to drained noodles, tossing gently. 
I’m not a food stylist and I need a better camera, to be sure, but this was DELICIOUS. It would make 4 lovely side portions to some fish or chicken…oh, and about the butter. Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin, which means it’s best absorbed into your body if consumed with fat…the amount I used comes out to only about 60 calories (6.5g) per serving, and makes ALL the difference in the flavor!
