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Butternut Squash and Sausage Pasta

Butternut Squash and Sausage Pasta - A Family Feast
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Butternut Squash and Sausage Pasta has tender cooked pasta, sweet Italian sausage, and baby spinach tossed in a creamy butternut squash sauce.

Ingredients

Scale

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

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
  2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and once hot, reduce heat and hold until later. 
  3. Line two sheet trays with parchment paper and divide the cubed squash between them. 
  4. Divide one-quarter cup of the olive oil between the two pans. Do the same with the kosher salt and black pepper.
  5. 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.
  6. In a medium saucepan, add heavy cream, crème fraiche, chicken stock, nutmeg and Parmesan cheese.
  7. Add half of the roasted squash cubes and puree the mixture with an emersion blender or tabletop blender.
  8. Heat the mixture until hot, lower heat to low and hold.
  9. 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.
  10. Add the sausage and cook until browned with no pink showing.
  11. Add spinach, sea salt and white pepper and cook 1-2 minutes to wilt.
  12. Add the cream sauce from earlier and mix with a wooden spoon to combine and heat on low.
  13. 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).
  14. 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.
  15. Add remaining half of cubed squash, stir and remove from heat.
  16. Serve in bowls with additional grated Parmesan cheese over each portion. 

Find it online: https://www.afamilyfeast.com/butternut-squash-and-sausage-pasta/