Butternut Squash and Sausage Pasta has tender cooked pasta, sweet Italian sausage, and baby spinach tossed in a creamy butternut squash sauce.
Creamy Butternut Squash and Sausage Pasta
Butternut squash is a surprisingly versatile vegetable, and it makes a fantastic base for a pasta sauce like the one in this Butternut Squash and Sausage Pasta.
The roasted squash adds a deep delicious flavor, creamy texture, and golden color to this recipe. The caramelized squash perfectly complements the flavors of sweet Italian sausage and herbs including fresh sage and thyme. And with fresh baby spinach added to the dish, this is a complete comforting meal in one bowl.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Butternut Squash – Buy a whole butternut squash for this recipe. You’ll cut it into half-inch cubes and roast with extra virgin olive oil, fresh sage, fresh thyme, kosher salt and black pepper.
- Sauce – In addition to the cooked butternut squash, the sauce is made with heavy cream, crème fraiche, Parmesan cheese, freshly grated nutmeg, and chicken stock.
- Italian Sausage – We used sweet Italian sausage in our recipe, but you can certainly use hot Italian sausage if you prefer a spicier dish.
- Red Onion
- Fresh Baby Spinach
- Seasonings – Sea salt, ground white pepper, fresh sage, red chili flakes, and fresh garlic.
- Pasta – Pasta of your choice. We chose Rigatoni but any sturdy pasta will work well in this dish.
Cooking Tips & Tricks
- It’s important to only partially cook the pasta before adding it to the sauce. (The pasta should be very firm but pliable.) The sauce will absorb into the pasta as it finishes cooking.
- Save some of the pasta cooking water. Add some to the sauce to thin it down if your sauce is too thick. Use some of the saved cooking water to reheat any leftover pasta.
Butternut Squash and Sausage Pasta
Butternut Squash and Sausage Pasta has tender cooked pasta, sweet Italian sausage, and baby spinach tossed in a creamy butternut squash sauce.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: pasta
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
3–4 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into half-inch cubes
1/4 cup plus one tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup heavy cream
1 8-ounce tub crème fraiche
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups red onion, diced
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
Pinch red chili flakes, optional
2 tablespoons fresh sage, minced
1 pound Italian sausage, removed from casings
5-ounce container fresh baby spinach
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 pound pasta of choice, with kosher salt to salt the water (we chose Rigatoni)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and once hot, reduce heat and hold until later.
- Line two sheet trays with parchment paper and divide the cubed squash between them.
- Divide one-quarter cup of the olive oil between the two pans. Do the same with the kosher salt and black pepper.
- Roast for ten minutes, flip the squash in each pan and rotate the pans between racks and roast for another 10-15 minutes or until the squash is coked but still a bit firm. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, add heavy cream, crème fraiche, chicken stock, nutmeg and Parmesan cheese.
- Add half of the roasted squash cubes and puree the mixture with an emersion blender or tabletop blender.
- Heat the mixture until hot, lower heat to low and hold.
- In a large skillet or braiser over medium heat, melt butter in the remaining tablespoon of oil and once hot, add the red onions, garlic, chili flakes and sage and cook for about 3-4 minutes or until the onions are somewhat soft.
- Add the sausage and cook until browned with no pink showing.
- Add spinach, sea salt and white pepper and cook 1-2 minutes to wilt.
- Add the cream sauce from earlier and mix with a wooden spoon to combine and heat on low.
- Heat water back up to boiling and add kosher salt to salt the water. Add the pasta and cook only to halfway done (somewhat flexible but still hard to chew).
- Using a slotted spoon, remove pasta from the pot and into the sauce and raise heat to medium low and finish cooking the pasta in the sauce until fully cooked, adding ladles of pasta water as needed.
- Add remaining half of cubed squash, stir and remove from heat.
- Serve in bowls with additional grated Parmesan cheese over each portion.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I made Butternut Squash and Sausage Pasta ahead of time? You can do much of the ingredient prep ahead of time including roasting the squash, cooking the sausage, and even making the sauce. For best results, cook the pasta just before serving.
- How do I store any leftovers? Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Be sure to save some of the pasta water as well for reheating.
- How do I reheat leftovers? You can reheat the leftovers in a saucepan with some of the saved cooking liquid added to loosen and thin the sauce. Or, microwave individual portions to warm through.
- Can I freeze the leftovers? No, we do not recommend freezing this dish. The pasta and squash will get mushy once frozen and thawed.
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