Dreaming of Italy in the Fall...

There's been quite a few conversations to be had about Italy around this house lately (OK, OK..more like: I talk and Scott listensJ).  So when Foodbuzz announced that Barilla pasta was having a contest to create a recipe for their tortellini, with the winning prize being a trip here... 

I WAS IN!!!!!!!!!!!!

And unlike the Bacon contest where I took a decadent ingredient and made it even MORE intense, I decided to use the opposite approach and take an often considered decadent ingredient and create a healthy sauce to serve along with it!

And since most of our daydreams about Italy revolves around my favorite season of Fall, then what better way than to combine the 2 with some of my very favorite FALL ingredientsJ

Tortellini with Roasted Butternut Squash & Pear Sauce

• 1 (12. oz) bag Barilla tortellini
• 2 pounds butternut squash, peeled & diced
• 2 slices prosciutto, thinly sliced
• 2 pears, peeled and diced
• 2 onion, diced
• 1 head of garlic
• 2 teaspoons sage, plus more for garnish
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 cup walnuts, optional
• Olive oil, salt & pepper

First I mixed the butternut squash with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, pepper and cinnamon.  Place squash in a single layer on a foil lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally....

While the squash is baking, your house should smell blissfully like THIS:

I'm trying to embrace all of you, Seasons, but my heart still beats for FallJ  The roasting squash was such a teaseJ

I also tossed in a head of garlic to roast along with the squash.  You simply slice off the top of the garlic, drizzle with olive oil, salt & pepper and tightly wrap in aluminum foil.  It is the best tasting/easiest thing you'll ever make in your whole life!  That time in the oven creates MAGIC!

While the squash & garlic were roasting, I got started on the rest of the sauce.  I added a drizzle of olive oil to a pot and added 2 chopped slices of prosciutto.  Cook for a few minutes until crispy...

Next into the pot I added the pears, onions and 2 teaspoons of chopped sage and let that cook with the prosciutto for 5 minutes, or until the onions softened and the pear took on some color... 

YUM!

And then it was time to add the glorious roasted ingredients!  Once roasted, the garlic will easily peel away from the "papery" layers and the whole cloves can directly be added to the pear & onion mix, right along with the sweet roasted squash... 

  FALL PERSONIFIED!J

After combining, I used my immersion blender to puree all of the ingredients, added about 3 cups of  vegetable stock as I went, to create a sauce-like consistency....

I also added in the cinnamon, nutmeg, 1 tablespoon of butter and a little extra salt & pepper to taste.  Allow the sauce to simmer on low until heated through.

While the sauce was heating, I was cooking my tortellini in boiling water for 7 minutes (longer if needed, but my "7 minute rule" rarely fails me! J)  I also toasted up a handful of chopped walnuts until golden brown... 

(keep the heat on loooowww and turn often!  These can go from brown to black in SECONDS!  When you can smell them...They're DONE!)

After the tortellini was cooked, I stirred in a few ladles of the warm sauce to the pan...

(we loved finding the few pieces of butternut squash that my blender had missedJ Who doesn't love textures??)

And finally, I topped the tortellini with the toasted walnuts & a sprinkle of diced sage and...

WALLAH! 

If this doesn't conjure up images of Autumn leaves while lounging on Lake Cuomo, then I don't know what does!J

Each taste of the sauce gave you little different tastes between the sweet roasted squash, the roasted garlic, the sweet pears, salty prosciutto, cinnamon & nutmeg and fresh sage.  And the decadent cheese tortellini gave the perfect amount of savory to carry the luscious sauce!  LOVE!

And I absolutely loved that, short of a very small added amount, this sauce contained scant amounts of fat and nearly ALL of the flavors comes from healthy, fresh ingredients.  What better way to 'lighten up' a pasta that's normally considered a treat!  Total winner any way you look at itJ  (Even if I was left dreaming of the Colosseum & Jack-o-lanterns for the rest of the nightJ) hahahahahhaa...

Anywayyy...my Fall dreams have turned into a rainy & dreary Saturday morning.  And after pusing it a llllitttllee too much/too soon in Power yoga this morning, my desire to collapse back in bed is being thwarted by the need to decorate the house with little bunnies todayJ  hahahahahhahahah!  Hope you guys have a great Easter! 

(and if you need a quick last minute dessert recipe, this lemon ice box pie or Peep rice krispie treats are LEGIT!J)