Fall Veggie & Sausage Sauté

Have I mentioned lately how much I love getting a CSA? Because boy howdy do I love it. I'm already despondent thinking about trying to get anywhere near the quality at the market once the CSA shuts down for the season. This dish was, yet another, example of "what can we make with what we have on hand?" As I was eating it I realized that, sausage aside, this flavorful dish was actually really healthy. No butter, no cheese, only a handful of pasta to the mound of sauté... this could become a recurring guest on our table.

A couple of notes: the squash I roasted a couple days prior and put in the fridge. I under-roasted it slightly so it would stand up to being sautéed without becoming mush. Also, the sauteé is hefty and filling, so you could forget the pasta base entirely if you wanted to avoid carbs. Me, I like starchy bases, so it stays :) The large sausage links I bought at McKinnon's, a local meat shop. Struggles and I have been loving their garlic-cheese ones for just about everything. (There'll be another post about mushroom soup and how I punched it up the second time around with these delicious meat tubes.) I pre-cooked the sausages a bit so they'd hold their shape when I sliced them. Oh, and as always, anything marked with a * came from the CSA!

(so good, even the picture makes me want to eat it again)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/2 large red onion, large dice
• 1/3 medium butternut squash, roasted and cut into inch cubes*
• 3 small bell peppers, rough chopped*
• 1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4" half rounds*
• 1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1.5-2" pieces
• 3 large sausage links, slightly precooked and cut into 1/4" slices (see notes above)
• 1.5 teaspoons crushed red pepper
• salt & pepper

• 1/2 pound pasta, cooked and tossed with:
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme

1) Olive oil, garlic, and red onion go right into the pan to sauté over medium heat until they're translucent. Throw the not-entirely-cooked sausage medallions in there. (I'm using a LARGE, flat bottomed skillet, by the way.)

2) After 2-3 minutes, toss in the zucchini, peppers and asparagus, along with the spices. Cover. Open and stir every 90 seconds or so until the asparagus is BRIGHT green.

3) Push everything around to the sides, leaving an empty spot in the middle of the pan. Fill the empty spot with butternut squash cubes. Cover and let sit for 1-2 minutes. Open and stir very gently so you don't squish the squash.

4) Serve over pasta. Dust with parmesan, if you want.