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We’re about to steal your comfort food-loving heart with these one-dish Butternut Squash Noodles with Sausage and Kale
And did we mention they’re also Whole30-friendly?
If you leave the cheese off, of course. And best of all, it’s a complete meal with just one skillet. Slicing the butternut squash really thin with either a spiral vegetable cutter or a handheld vegetable peeler cuts down on the cooking time – so does using precooked kielbasa sausage.
For this recipe we’ve partnered with our friends at The Simple Grocer and Pederson’s Natural Farms- maker of high-quality, humanely-raised, responsibly-processed and Paleo and Whole3-friendly meats like the kielbasa used in this recipe. Learn more about how The Simple Grocer can you save you time and money here and learn more about Pederson’s Natural Farms here.
Easy, hearty and satisfying – the perfect mid-week meal is just 30 minutes away
Prepping all of the ingredients before starting to cook is the key to an easy and successful one-skillet dinner. You can even prep all of the ingredients up to 3 days in advance if you want to make things really easy.
It’s all in there – no side dish required
Of course, we’d never begrudge you for adding a salad or side of steamed vegetables to this dish but really, you don’t have to. It’s all in there – carbs from the butternut squash noodles, protein from the kielbasa and plenty of fiber from the kale, squash and mushrooms. The only thing we’d add is a pinch of red pepper flakes for a little more heat (though the kielbasa does pack a little heat already) and maybe a sprinkle of parmesan cheese when we’re not Whole30-ing.
P.S. You can even top the leftovers with a fried egg for an insanely easy and satisfying breakfast. How’s that for awesome?
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Shredded parmesan cheese, optional – omit for Whole30
Instructions
Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp. avocado oil. Once oil is hot add butternut squash noodles and saute for 2-3 minutes. Then add 2 Tbsp. water and cover for 10 minutes or until squash noodles are tender (not overly soft/mushy). Add additional water as needed to prevent noodles from burning. Remove squash noodles from heat and transfer to a plate or bowl.
To the same skillet over medium-high heat add remaining 1 Tbsp. avocado oil. Once oil is hot, add red onion. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Next add mushrooms and garlic and saute for another 2-3 minutes or until mushrooms start to soften and give off moisture. Add kielbasa and continue to cook until kielbasa is heated through, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the kale to the pan and saute until kale is wilted then toss in the butternut squash noodles and heat through.
For more heat, add a sprinkle of crushed red pepper. Salt to taste.
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Notes
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What’s your favorite one-dish or one-skillet meal? Tell us about it in the comments below!
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Jessica is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist living in Boulder, CO with her husband and two daughters. She's been raising backyard chickens for over a decade. When she's not in the kitchen you'll find her mountain biking, gravel cycling, telemark skiing, and camping.
My family is not big on spiraled/ribboned veggies. I keep trying, but they just don’t like them… it’s a bummer! Would cubed butternut squash work? I’m guessing I’d have to roast it till crisp-tender in the oven and toss in at end… making this a two pan dinner… but you can buy it already cubed, so it’s win-win!
Hi Leigh! Yes you could also use cubed butternut squash – you’ll just want to saute it longer so that it’s cooked through before adding the other ingredients. Or you could mix in our Butternut Squash Home Fries. https://therealfooddietitians.com/butternut-squash-home-fries/. That would be good too! Enjoy!!
The recipe isn’t missing a sauce – it relies on the oil used for sauteeing the veggies and meat to bring it together though you could add something if you’d like (I never do as I feel it’s perfect as is).
Healthy alternative for a filling dinner! I had never made a dish with spiralized squash before and found this recipe. I used 2 leftover links (hot dog shaped) of a package of tomato basil chicken sausages with no nitrates or antibiotics and it was delicious. I cut the sausage into smaller pieces, but I would use 3 links next time. I will be making this recipe again and trying it with the Pederson’s sausage.
This dish is tasty. I was looking for a recipe that would have beta carotene in it, and this looked interesting. I used chicken apple sausages, because that is what I had, so I added red pepper flakes to give more spice, and it turned out really well. All of the nutrients in this tasty dish was really satisfying. Thank you!
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My family is not big on spiraled/ribboned veggies. I keep trying, but they just don’t like them… it’s a bummer! Would cubed butternut squash work? I’m guessing I’d have to roast it till crisp-tender in the oven and toss in at end… making this a two pan dinner… but you can buy it already cubed, so it’s win-win!
Hi Leigh! Yes you could also use cubed butternut squash – you’ll just want to saute it longer so that it’s cooked through before adding the other ingredients. Or you could mix in our Butternut Squash Home Fries. https://therealfooddietitians.com/butternut-squash-home-fries/. That would be good too! Enjoy!!
Hey there! This looks like exactly what I had in mind for this week. One question: is it missing any kind of sauce to pull it together?
Hi Maura!
The recipe isn’t missing a sauce – it relies on the oil used for sauteeing the veggies and meat to bring it together though you could add something if you’d like (I never do as I feel it’s perfect as is).
Enjoy and have a great week ahead!
Delicious. I use spinach instead of kale . And different types of sausage.
We like chicken apple with this the best.
Sounds delicious!
Healthy alternative for a filling dinner! I had never made a dish with spiralized squash before and found this recipe. I used 2 leftover links (hot dog shaped) of a package of tomato basil chicken sausages with no nitrates or antibiotics and it was delicious. I cut the sausage into smaller pieces, but I would use 3 links next time. I will be making this recipe again and trying it with the Pederson’s sausage.
Hi Julie. This is great to hear and the Tomato Basil Chicken Sausage sounds so good! Glad you enjoyed this recipe and it’s one you’ll make again!
This dish is tasty. I was looking for a recipe that would have beta carotene in it, and this looked interesting. I used chicken apple sausages, because that is what I had, so I added red pepper flakes to give more spice, and it turned out really well. All of the nutrients in this tasty dish was really satisfying. Thank you!
You are so welcome!