Creamy Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta with Sausage and Spinach
Creamy Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta with Sausage and Spinach is a perfect Autumn comfort food. This easy and flavorful recipe is packed with veggies and will become your favorite Fall and Winter family weeknight dinner!
CourseMain Course
CuisineAmerican, Italian
Keywordbutternut squash pasta, pasta with butternut squash, roasted butternut squash, Thanksgiving butternut squash
Prep Time30minutes minutes
Cook Time40minutes minutes
Total Time1hour hour 10minutes minutes
Servings4 people
Calories759kcal
Ingredients
Roasted Butternut Squash
2 cups butternut squash , peeled, seeded, and cubed
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper
Sausage
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ lb sausage , crumbled, without casings
Creamy Pasta Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 garlic cloves minced
6 oz spinach
1 cup heavy cream
⅓ cup Parmesan cheese shredded
¼ teaspoon salt
Pasta
8 oz farfalle (bow tie pasta)
Instructions:
Roast Butternut Squash
Preheat oven to 400 F.
In a large bowl, toss cubed butternut squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Spread the squash on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in one layer, without overcrowding.
Roast in the preheated oven at 400 F for 30 minutes. Remove from oven.
Cook Sausage
In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat.
Add crumbled sausage and cook for about 10 minutes, regularly stirring, until the sausage is cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside.
Tip: Cook the sausage while the butternut squash is being roasted.
Make Creamy Sauce
In a separate, large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil together with minced garlic and spinach over medium heat. Cook, occasionally stirring, for about 5 or 7 minutes until spinach starts to wilt.
Add heavy cream. Bring to a brief boil, then immediately reduce to simmer (boiling but not intensely). Add shredded Parmesan cheese. Keep stirring the sauce with the Parmesan cheese on low to medium boil (simmer) until the cheese melts. Remove from heat.
Season with salt to taste, about ¼ teaspoon of salt. No salt might be necessary if the sausage is very salty.
Tip: Use your judgment about whether to add salt or not based on how salty the sausage is. Make the cream sauce while the butternut squash is being roasted.
Cook Pasta and Assemble
Cook pasta al dente in boiling water according to package instructions. That usually means cooking pasta in boiling water for about 7 to 11 minutes. Drain.
To a large skillet with the creamy spinach sauce, add drained cooked pasta and cooked sausage. Stir. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
Top the pasta with roasted butternut squash. Stir the squash in, or leave it on top.
