Orecchiette with Turkey Sausage, Butternut Squash and Kale

Ingredients

• 4 cups butternut squash diced
• 4 cloves garlic peeled and whacked
• 4 Farm Boy™ Turkey Sausages removed from casings
• 3 Tbsp Farm Boy™ Extra Virgin Olive Oil plus more for roasting squash
• sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste, plus more salt for pasta water
• 6 cups kale finely chopped
• 1 pkg Farm Boy™ Orecchiette Dried Pasta (500 g)
• 100 g mini bocconcini roughly chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Heat a large pot of water on high to boil.
2. Add butternut squash cubes to the lined baking sheet and drizzle with enough olive oil to coat.
3. Add the garlic cloves, season with salt and cracked pepper, and toss well.
4. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove, flip cubes, and bake another 15-20 minutes until golden brown in parts.
5. Set aside squash and discard garlic cloves.
6. Heat a large heavy-bottom saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons of Farm Boy™ Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Once oil is simmering, add Farm Boy™ Turkey Sausage.
7. Stir often and use the edge of a wooden spoon or spatula to break the meat into bite-sized bits while it cooks through, about 6-7 minutes.
8. Add kale to pan and cook until slightly softened, stirring often. Turn off heat.
9. Meanwhile, to a large pot of boiling water, add 3 Tbsp sea salt.
10. Add Farm Boy™ Orecchiette Artisan Pasta. Stir to prevent sticking, and cook until just shy of al dente.
11. Just before draining pasta, remove a few ladles full of pasta water to a heat-safe container and set aside.
12. Add the drained orecchiette, plus some of the reserved pasta water to the pan with kale and sausage.
13. Heat on high to simmer and finish cooking the pasta – this helps to develop a velvety sauce and is one of my favourite pasta tips to share. After about 2 minutes the pasta should be perfectly al dente.
14. Gently fold the roasted butternut squash and chopped Farm Boy™ Mini Bocconcini into the pasta and serve immediately.