Butternut Squash is Oh So Delicious!

Nothing sounded better tonight than this comforting fall/winter dish: butternut squash with whole wheat penne pasta, dried basil, dried sage, olive oil, brown sugar (homemade), and freshly ground black pepper. I miss using fresh herbs from our garden, but even with using dried herbs, this dish ranks as one of my favorites. (Thank you Carol Niemi).  Jeremy, who is not the biggest fan of squash, loves it when I make this dish!  Even though I always make enough for leftovers, somehow it all mysteriously disappears.

But, there's one thing missing tonight: the cheese. Pairing the hot pasta and sweet and savory squash with sirene (Bulgarian feta), makes all the flavors melt in your mouth. It's so delicious! Unfortunately we're out of feta and don't have any asiago or parmigiano-reggiano. When I asked the husband if we could swing by Outpost (our food co-op) for some cheese, he informed me that, "we have some cheddar left in the fridge".

I'll be be opting out of cheese tonight even though cheddar apparently, "goes with everything".:)

Update: I really missed the cheese melting in my mouth so I gave in and put some on... at least it was mild white cheddar, right?

An old photo with fresh (garden) basil and french feta.

(Adding a pinch of cayenne and cinnamon really makes the flavors pop!)