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When people think of fall foods, I am sure everything pumpkin comes to mind. When I think of fall, my brain goes a little further. I think of warm spices like sage and nutmeg. I think of warm, hearty dishes like pasta. And every now and then, I think of another, often overlooked, gourd, butternut squash! And guess what? This dish has all of that. Spend those brisk autumn nights whipping up a batch of this butternut squash, sausage, and spinach pasta. Full of warm spices and a cheesy, creamy sauce, what’s not to love?
Roasted Butternut Squash
For a dish that looks so simple, it sure does have a lot of rich flavor components, the first of which is roasted butternut squash. Easily the longest portion of this recipe to cook, it is still super simple. Begin with a medium sized squash, about 2 lbs. It may look a bit intimidating to cut, so let’s break down how I do it. I begin by slicing off the top and bottom, so the squash can stand up on a flat end. I then cut it in half through the top and scoop out the seeds on both side. Peel each half and then slice into 1/2 slices. Turn the slices on their sides and cut again into 1/2 slices, leaving you with matchstick shapes. Cut those matchsticks into 1/2in cubes, and there you have it!
From there, sprinkle the cubed squash with 2 tsp of salt, 1 1/2 tsp of pepper, 1 tsp sage and 1/2 tsp of nutmeg, and drizzle with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Toss to coat thoroughly and spread the squash on a line baking sheet. Throw the squash into a 400 oven and cook for 30-40 minutes or until tender, tossing halfway. The outsides should begin to caramelize a bit, and the insides will be fluffy and soft, almost like a potato. If your squash was on the larger side, store some of the extra squash in an air right container and save it for a salad later!
Butternut Squash Sausage and Spinach Pasta
The great thing about this recipe is that the other components of the pasta come together in the time the squash is roasting. So once you pop your squash into the over, put on a pot of salted boiling water and cook 1lb of thin spaghetti (or linguine) according to package directions to al dente. I love a good one pot meal, so once the pasta is done cooking, strain it and set it aside. Place the pot back on the stove. To it, add 1 tbsp of butter and a diced medium white onion. Cook the onion for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant, and then add in 1 lb of Italian sausage. I used sweet sausage, but use any kind you’d like.
Cook the sausage until no longer pink, and set the sausage onion mixture aside, reserving a little bit of the sausage fat in the pot. Add in 5 tbsp butter to the pan along with three-four minced garlic cloves and cook for one minute or until fragrant. Next, season with:
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp ground sage
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp dried oregano
Continue cooking over medium heat until the butter begins to deepen in color. At this point deglaze the pan with 1 cup of chicken or vegetable stock. Scrap the bottom of the pot to get up all of the brown bits, and add in 2 cups of heavy cream. Bring everything to a simmer. Next, mix in 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese, whisking to avoid clumps, and continue to simmer for 2-3 minutes to thicken. Carefully add back in the sausage and onion mixture, the cooked pasta, and the roasted squash. Finally add in 2 cups of fresh torn spinach and toss to incorporate.
At this point you can turn off the heat, the heat from the pasta and sauce will wilt the spinach. Serve the pasta up, and garnish with additional parmesan and sage leaves for a last pop of flavor. Eat one bowl or for, just make sure you try this creamy butternut squash sausage and spinach pasta ASAP!
Want More Pasta Recipes?
- Tuscan Mac And Cheese With Chicken
- Sausage Pesto Pasta
- Garlic Tomato Pasta With Seared Scallops
- Chicken Parmesan Pasta
- Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
- Tuscan Shrimp Pasta
Butternut Squash, Sausage, and Spinach Pasta
Ingredients
Roasted Squash
- 1 2lb butternut squash
- 2 tsp salt
- 1½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp ground sage
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Pasta
- 1 lb thin spaghetti sub linguine, vermicelli
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter divided
- 1 medium white onion diced
- 1 lb sweet Italian sausage
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1½ tsp ground sage
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup grated/shredded parmesan
- 2 cup fresh spinach torn
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°
- Peel the butternut squash, slice in half, and scoop out the seeds. Cut each half into ½ in slices, then cut each slice into ½ inch match sticks, and then the sticks into ½ in cubes.
- Sprinkle the cubed squash with salt, pepper, sage and nutmeg, and drizzle on olive oil. Toss to coat
- Spread the squash on a line baking sheet and cook for 30-40 minutes or until tender, tossing halfway
- Meanwhile, in a large pot of salted boiling water, cook your pasta according to package directions until al dente
- Strain the pasta and place the empty pot back on the stove. To it, add 1 tbsp of butter and a diced onion. Cook the onion for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant, and then add in the Italian sausage.
- Cook the sausage until no longer pink, and set the sausage onion mixture aside.
- Add the remaining butter to the pan along with the minced garlic and cook for one minute or until fragrant.
- Add in the salt, pepper, sage, thyme, oregano, and nutmeg to toast in the butter. When the butter begins to deepen in color, deglaze the pan with the stock.
- Add in the heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Mix in the parmesan cheese, whisking to avoid clumps, and continue to simmer for 2-3 minutes to thicken.
- Add back in the sausage and onion mixture, the cooked pasta, and the roasted squash.
- Add in the fresh spinach and toss to incorporate. At this point you can turn off the heat, the heat from the pasta and sauce will wilt the spinach.
- Garnish with additional parmesan and sage leaves, and serve immediately.
