Tromboncini Rotini – A tasty, colorful, and unique summer dinner

Taking another break from the mass influx of zucchini, it’s time to play with tromboncini squash again.  I love Troboncini – they are extremely versatile, functioning as both a winter and a summer squash.  Their flavor is somewhere between a zucchini and a butternut.  And they have a long, seedless neck.

The parmesan tromboncini discs I made the other day were really yummy.  But let’s face it, that’s an appetizer.  We needed something more substantial for dinner.  And colorful.  Time for squash and pasta!

This was a bit of a clean-out-the-cheese drawer improvisation.  Really, measurements are a bit superfluous.  You could modify this to work with whatever you have on hand.

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Rotini Tromboncini

Feel free to improvise with whatever is in your fridge. A salty cheese, tromboncini squash, and some yummy pasta will always make a meal!

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Course

Main Dish

Prep Time

5 minutes

Cook Time

15 minutes

Servings

large bowls MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

• 1 pound Tricolor Rotini or other pasta of choice
• Olive Oil
• 1 Tromboncino Squash largeish
• 1 pound Italian Sausage bulk or links, hot or sweet
• 1 handfull Radish Greens or other greens - chard, spinach, turnip...
• 1 handfull Parmesan Cheese or asiago, romano...
• 1/2 handful Feta Cheese or chevre, etc.
• 1/2 handful Mozarella or monterey jack or something else melty. I used some old homemade mozarella

Course Main Dish Prep Time 5 minutes Cook Time 15 minutes Servings large bowls MetricUS Imperial Ingredients 1 pound Tricolor Rotini or other pasta of choice Olive Oil 1 Tromboncino Squash largeish 1 pound Italian Sausage bulk or links, hot or sweet 1 handfull Radish Greens or other greens - chard, spinach, turnip... 1 handfull Parmesan Cheese or asiago, romano... 1/2 handful Feta Cheese or chevre, etc. 1/2 handful Mozarella or monterey jack or something else melty. I used some old homemade mozarella

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Instructions

1. Set a large pot of water over high heat to start it boiling. Meanwhile, chop the neck of the tromboncino squash into cubes about the same size as your pasta.
2. Heat a very large skillet over medium-high heat, with a drizzle or two of olive oil in it. Add the tromboncino, and cook until it just begins to soften, stirring frequently. Meanwhile, cook the pasta once the water boils.
3. Add the sausage to the squash skillet. If using bulk sausage rather than links (I usually do), move the squash away from one side, so you can make sure the sausage makes good contact with the bottom of the pan so it can brown nicely. Keep stirring the squash, but avoid breaking the sausage up too much. Flip it to make sure it cooks.
4. Meanwhile, cut thick stems out of the greens, and chop them into approximately 1" lengths. Shortly before the sausage is finished, add the greens so they can cook down a bit, and turn bright green.
5. When the pasta is finished, drain it. Stir in the contents of the skillet, as well as the cheeses. Serve hot immediately, and/or eat the leftovers cold.

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