BUTTERNUT SQUASH PIE WITH SAUSAGE AND KALE

Okay I know in my last post I was embracing autumn (what I call it when I'm being fancy), but now all of a sudden it's winter? This cold weather has got me looking for my winter coats already and I'm feeling like I need to stuff sloane in so many layers and she is probably not going to like it one bit. Although, she is no longer whipping off her socks any chance she gets so there's hope.

Along with the cold, there is the grey. So much grey and rain; rain, rain everywhere. And then on top of the rain is the fact that since I've stopped nursing a month ago, my cycle is trying to return and with that we have bloating, acne, cramps, exhaustion and crabbiness this week. I had forgotten about the monthly gift that keeps on giving but oh boy is it coming back to me now!

I didn't mean to take this route but I guess this all brings us to needing a plate of hot and delicious comfort food on a cold rainy day. Ready?  

This here is a tub of peeled and cut butternut squash.  B-squash is a beast of a thing to cut and I derived great satisfaction from filling up this tub here. One squash can yield 3-4 cups so even though it's a pain, you save money and have some in reserve to cook other things. (Steamed cubes of butternut squash make great toddler food). If you are trying to save on time, Trader joe's has pre-cut butternut squash in a bag!

I am most recently in love with whole wheat pie crusts. I usually double this recipe when I make it, freeze one portion of it for another time, and pre-bake and refrigerate the pie crust the day before I make the pie. (That is so much planning I know, but it makes life easier).  For the pie crust, 1 and 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour and 1/8 teaspoon of salt are mixed together. Cut in slabs of 7 tablespoons of butter with a food processor (I don't have one so I use a hand mixer) until you get a dry mixture with pea-sized pods of butter throughout. Slowly add 2-3 tablespoons of ice water, a little bit at a time until the desired texture. (My friend suggested using frozen butter for extra flakiness!)

1-  Once you refrigerate the ball of dough for at least 30 minutes, roll it out, place in pan, crimp and then bake it in a 325 degree oven for 20 minutes with an aluminum foil and pie weights (or dry beans) on top. Take out of oven, and bake just the crust solo in 350 degrees for 15 minutes. 

2 - In a skillet, heat oil and saute 1/2 pound of sausage until almost cooked through. Add 8 ounces of kale and cook until wilted. Add half of a diced onion and cook until translucent. (Make sure the sausage doesn't burn!) Pour all of this into the pie crust. 

3 - Mix 1 cup of puréed butternut squash with 1/2 cup of milk, 1/3 cup of grated Parmesan, 2 eggs and 2 egg whites. Pour this on top of the kale and sausage mix and make sure the top is even. Sprinkle another 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese on top. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes in 350 degrees.

Done and done. Enjoy for dinner with a side of potatoes or better yet, for breakfast. It goes really well with a side of apples.

recipe adapted from My Kitchen Addiction.