Roasted Butternut Squash with Penne and Garlic Cream Sauce! – A delicious and easy to make side dish or main meal for Fall and Holidays!
Rachel and I couldn’t keep our forks (or fingers) out of this dish! Â The cream sauce is infused with the sage and roasted butternut adds a savory sweet side note. Â Totally delicious and oh so pretty! Â Pretty helps…we like pretty :).
This comes together in a flash and is perfect for entertaining or potlucks. Â It is different enough to be interesting, but familiar enough that your guests will love it. Â ANDÂ you won’t believe how easy it is! Â (I know, I know, I always say ‘you won’t believe how easy this is’…but guess what? Â You won’t believe how easy this is!)
How to Make Butternut Penne  with Garlic Cream Sauce –
Start your water boiling for the pasta and preheat your oven to 400 degrees for the squash. Â Just getting a jump on these two things alone will save you at least 15 minutes.
Pro Tip:  Look for already peeled and cubed butternut in the produce section.  We love all the new prepped veggies grocers are carrying these days, a really time and effort saver.  Or go big and cube your own!  Here is a great tutorial by Simply Recipes , if you have not attempted this before.  How to Cut a Butternut Squash.
Toss your squash with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and let it roast up for about 15 minutes. Â Meanwhile, get that pasta in the pot!
While your water heats up and the butternut is roasting, time for the cream sauce!
With just a few ingredients this cream sauce tastes like something out of a restaurant!
Garlic, sage and nutmeg make for a deep rich flavored cream sauce.
Pro Tip: Â Your sauce has thickened up enough when it coats the back of a spoon. Â Takes about 5 minutes of simmering for sauce perfection!
Drain your pasta and put it back in the pot it cooked in.
Add the cream sauce, 3/4 of the roasted squash (save the other 1/4 to sprinkle on top).
Almost done!
Pour it all into a deep 8 x 8 casserole or a 9 x 13 and sprinkle with remaining squash cubes.
Can I make this Roasted Butternut Squash with Penne and Garlic Cream Sauce ahead of time?
- yes! Â Mix half of the cream sauce with the pasta, cover and store along with remaining sauce for up to 12 hours. Â When time to serve, microwave remaining sauce for a minute to loosen up and pour over the casserole. Â Toss, bake and serve! Â (this method keeps the pasta from soaking up all that yummy sauce as it sits in the fridge).
Serve along side your favorite protein or keep it vegetarian!
What else can I toss in this tasty casserole?
- mushrooms
- sausage
- chicken
- shrimp
- any veggie such as broccoli, zucchini or asparagus
- sub the butternut for any other kind of squash…even pumpkin!
A few other Fall and Holiday dishes you might like!
Cheesy Potatoes Au Gratin don’t be fooled by the fancy exterior, easy to make.  With Video tutorial!
Blueberry Cream Cheese Casserole – made the night before and comes with an easy to make blueberry sauce!
To Fall…my most favorite food time of the year!
Clink!
Kathi
Check out this video to make your pasta foolproof !
Roasted Butternut Squash with Penne and Garlic Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound cubed butternut squash about 3 cups
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 12 ounces Penne Pasta or other similar sized pasta such as farfalle, shells or rotini
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan plus more for garnish
- 2 tablespoon fresh sage chopped plus more for garnish
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Bring stock pot of water to boil for pasta
- Heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with foil for easy clean up. Toss squash, olive oil, salt and pepper
- Roast for 20-25 minutes or until soft and slightly brown on the edges. Remove and set aside to cool slightly.
- Cook pasta according to package direction.
- While pasta is cooking and butternut squash is roasting begin your sauce.
- In large skillet, melt butter and saute garlic until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add cream, sage, salt and pepper. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until thick enough to cover the back of a spoon.
- Add 1/2 cup parmesan cheese to cream sauce and stir until melted.
- Drain pasta and return to pot it was cooked in
- Add cream sauce to pot with pasta along with 3/4 of the roasted squash.
- Pour into a deep 8 x 8 or 9 x 13 casserole dish
- Sprinkle top with reserved squash and remaining parmasan.
- Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees. Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly and hot.
Notes
Nutrition
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