This Butternut Squash and Sausage Pasta has all the elements of Fall food we love! Roasted squash, sausage, pasta and our easy no fail cream sauce!
This Roasted Butternut Squash, Sausage, and Pasta dish combines comforting flavors and vibrant colors, making it the perfect recipe for fall. Not only is it delicious, but it’s also simple to prepare, making it ideal for busy weeknights or cozy weekends.
Ingredients –
- Butternut Squash – our recommendation is to buy this already peeled and cubed. It’s a real time saver!
- Sausage – we prefer Italian sausage for this recipe.
- Pasta – we used Cavatappi but most any pasta will do – rigatoni, bow tie, penne and rotini are great substitutes.
- Fresh Spinach
- Heavy Cream or Half and Half – we used our method for 5 Minute Alfredo Sauce, mixing flour in with the cream which instantly thickens it.
- Parmesan cheese
- Flour
- Garlic
- Nutmeg
How to make Butternut Squash and Pasta –
Roast Cubed Butternut Squash – You can roast in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or use the Air Fryer.
Cook the Sausage and Spinach – while the butternut is roasting, heat a skillet and cook the sausage until brown and crumbly. Toss in the spinach and cook for a minute or two until wilted. Set aside.
Boil the Pasta – Bring a large stock pot of water to a simmer and cook your pasta according to package directions.
Combine flour and parmesan in a seperate bowl. This will thicken the cream.
Once you have assembled all your ingredients, this will go fast!
Heat a large skillet to medium high heat. Add the cream. Bring to a simmer. Whisk in the parmesan and flour mixture. Continue cooking until thick. 2-3 minutes is all it takes.
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the sausage spinach mixture, squash, tarragon and nutmeg to the thick cream and toss.
Fold in the pasta and bring to a low simmer. SERVE!
We like to serve this with a simple green salad and maybe some french bread if we are feeling all carby.
Tips and storage for Butternut Squash Sausage Pasta –
- use already cubed squash you can buy in most store these days. Sweet Potatoes are a good substitute as well.
- pork, chicken or turkey sausage works for this recipe. Sweet Italian is our favorite.
- store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You may have to add a bit more cream or half and half to the pasta when reheating.
- freezing is not recommended as the pasta gets mushy however if you don’t mind that this will freeze well for 3 months.
A few more easy pasta dishes we hope you will love –
- Lasagna Roll- ups – these come together quickly and make a nice switch up from regular lasagna.
- Baked Feta Pasta – everyone in the baking dish and in the oven it goes. A unique and easy recipe.
- Chicken and Orzo – the queen of one pot meals! Clean out the fridge with this one.
- Ground Chicken Pasta Skillet – seems we always have the ingredients for this one in the pantry!
LET’S EAT!
Kathi and Rachel
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Butternut Squash and Sausage Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 cups cubed butternut squash - 1 medium size squash or purchase already cubed
- 1 pound Italian Sausage - pork, chicken or turkey
- 6 ounces captavetti pasta - or any other medium pasta such as rotini or bow tie
- 3 cups chopped fresh spinach - packed
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 cup heavy cream - or half and half
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage - or one teaspon dried
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil for easy clean up.
- Toss cubed butternut squash with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes tossing once until brown. Set aside.
- Boil a large pot of water and cook pasta according to package directions. Remove one cup of pasta water before draining.
- Heat large skillet. Cook sausage until brown and crumbly. Remove any accumulated grease if necessary. Toss in chopped spinach and garlic. Cook another 2-3 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Remove to plate and set aside.
- Using the same skillet you cooked the sausage in, add the cream and bring to a simmer. Combine parmesan and flour in a small bowl Add parmesan flour mixture to the the hot cream and stir until thick. About 2 minutes. Add sage and nutmeg.
- Add sausage and spinach mixture to cream . Fold in squash and pasta, sage and nutmeg. Add about 1/3 cup of saved pasta water and continue to simmer. Add more pasta water if necessary until you reach your desired consistency.
- Taste for seasoning. Add additional salt and pepper if necessary. It will vary depending on the salt content of your sausage.
- Serve with a simple green salad and bread if desired.
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