Creamy Butternut Squash & Sausage Pasta
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Need a hearty winter pasta dish? This Creamy Butternut Squash & Sausage Pasta recipe is going to warm you up! Full of flavourful sausage and a smooth butternut squash pasta sauce smothering rigatoni, this pasta will have you coming back for seconds!
Creamy Butternut Squash & Sausage Pasta Recipe
Happy 2024, and the first recipe of the year! Of course we’re going to start off with a bang with a hearty pasta recipe!
Making this combination of sausage and butternut squash in a pasta dish has actually been on my bucket list since last winter, and I only finally got around to first trying it out around November of 2023! My first iteration of this recipe consisted of mixing the sausage with the cubes of butternut squash and adding in the pasta. However, the second time I’ve made this dish, I pureed the butternut squash to make it into one of the most delicious pasta sauces I’ve ever had!
If you want to get the new year started on the right foot by cooking at home more, my Live to Cook one-month challenge is the perfect opportunity to motivate you! If you’ve always wanted to make a butternut squash pasta too, now is the time to check it off your bucket list just I did! You can get started for free today by signing up to my free email newsletter, and you’ll receive all of my latest recipes right in your inbox so you never have to struggle with dinner ideas again!
If you want to follow along please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already, and be sure to press the bell button so you’re notified when all of my video recipes go live along with the written ones! Let’s get cooking!
why You’ll Love this Creamy Butternut Squash & Sausage Pasta
Simple process: It may seem like that there is a lot going on in this recipe, but the longest part of this recipe is actually making your butternut squash sauce! Afterward, you’re just cooking the sausage, pasta, and combining!
Nutritious: We’ve got a very balanced meal here. Butternut squash is high in fibre that will help keep you full. You’ll also find the protein from the sausage filling. We’ve got healthy fats from our olive oil and a good dose of Vitamin K from the spinach!
Winter comfort: Butternut squash is in season right now, so make the most out of it! Not only is this Butternut Squash & Sausage Pasta recipe using a seasonal vegetable, but it will be piping hot when you serve it to warm you up on a cold winter night!
Family-friendly: You can really make a big batch of sauce to make as much pasta as you need! Check out the recipe card to scale it based on how many mouths you’ll want to feed. Kids and adults adore a good hearty pasta, plus this will help the little ones get in their essential nutrients while it being tasty!
Tools nEEDED FOR Sausage & Butternut Squash Rigatoni
Ingredients for Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta
Check out the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card by scrolling to the bottom of this post or by pressing the “Jump to Recipe” button, where you can save the recipe for later and refer to the full list of ingredients and their quantities. You can also scale the recipe based on how many butternut squashes you want to cook or to see how many butternut squashes you’ll need to serve your friends and family! No need to do mental math!
Rigatoni: If you don’t have rigatoni, other suitable substitutes include penne rigate, fusilli and rotini. As I mention in my free motivational guide to explore your potential in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun!!, I recommend you always go for a suitable substitute if you have it instead of going out to buy something new! While pasta lasts forever, I personally don’t like the clutter of having so many different pasta shapes in the pantry. If you’ve got any of the other shapes mentioned above but not rigatoni, then finish those up first!
Sausage. I’m using a combination of chorizo sausage and andouille sausage. You can use your favourite kind of sausage for this recipe, but I’ve found a combination of chorizo and andouille gave the best results!
Onions: You want finely chopped onions. I’m using red onions, but feel free to use your favourite kind.
Butternut squash: The star of our sauce here! We’ll cut it into cubes and sauté it to make our sauce. Then, we’ll blend the mixture and you’ve got a smooth and delicious sauce!
Garlic: Combined with the butternut squash and onions. You want to mince your fresh garlic cloves.
Extra virgin olive oil: To sauté everything mentioned above.
Dried spices: We’ve already got lots of flavours from our butternut squash and garlic, but to enhance those flavours, we’ll season the vegetables with dried sage, dried oregano, and some red chili flakes for some heat.
Vegetable broth: Helps get flavour and the perfect texture in the butternut squash puree. Add this to the blender.
Butter: We’ll add butter when we cook our sauce to make it ultra glossy and even more delicious!
Spinach: Some greens in here to add some extra colour and even more nutrition! Spinach is a great source of Vitamin K and iron. If you’re typically not a big spinach eater, then adding some to pasta is a perfect way to sneak it in, especially for kids!
10% cream: Also known as “half and half” because it is composed of half whole milk and half light cream. I like to use half and half cream sometimes to add creaminess while not making a sauce too rich. A splash of this will really bring the butternut squash sauce together!
Parmesan cheese: To complete the dish! In my opinion, Parmesan completes pretty much any pasta dish!
How to Make Creamy Butternut Squash & Sausage Pasta
Heat a pan on medium heat and then add 2 tsp of olive oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add onions, garlic and a pinch of salt and saute until onions soften and turn translucent.
Add the diced butternut squash.
Seasoning with a pinch of salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and mix well. Cook with the lid on for 10-15 minutes or until the squash starts to soften. Add oregano and sage, mix well and continue to cook with lid on for 2-3 more mins or until you can easily break the squash with the end of a wooden/silicon spoon.
Transfer the mixture from the pan to a food processor, add vegetable broth and blend until smooth. Set aside for later.
To cook the sausage, heat a pan on medium and then add 1 tsp of olive oil. Add the sausage and cook until it has browned. Break and large lumps of sausage as you continue to cook it.
In the meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a rolling boil for the pasta. Once boiling, season the water with salt and add the rigatoni. Cook until al dente.
Add the spinach leaves and cook until it has shriveled up and turns the mixture fragrant.
Add 3 ladles or about 2 1/2 to 3 Cups of the butternut squash sauce from earlier. Reserve any remaining sauce for another portion of pasta or use it all if you are doubling the other ingredients.
Mix well and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Add the cooked pasta and taste for seasoning. The dish should be slightly under-seasoned at this point. Add the butter, cream and parmesan cheese and mix well. If the sauce is too thick, thin it out using the pasta water until it gets the your preferred consistency.
Taste and adjust for seasoning and serve right away with more parmesan as needed.
TIPS TO MAKE a luscious Butternut Squash Rigatoni
Make sure to cut the butternut squash evenly into a small dice so that the squash cooks evenly and you get a consistent result while blending it.
Make sure to use a powerful blender for the smoothest sauce. Personally, a Vitamix has always worked well for me!
Season at every step with bits of salt to layer flavours and make sure to taste at every step when possible.
Be sure to start tasting the pasta around the 7-minute mark and take it off the heat when it is close to al dente. The pasta will continue to cook in the sauce, so you want to be careful not to overcook it for the best texture.
Reserve the pasta water in case you have reduced the sauce too much. It will help to thin it out and add lots of flavour.
Can I make Butternut Squash Rigatoni Ahead of Time?
I would not make the entire Butternut Squash Rigatoni in advance. The pasta always gets mushy when you reheat it, and that’s not pleasant at all! Plus, I fear that the cooked sausage may dry out.
What you can do to save some time is to make the butternut squash sauce ahead of time, as this is the longest process in the recipe (and it stays good in the fridge!). Simply follow the steps until the sauce has been pureed, then cook the pasta and sausage fresh and finish up your sauce with butter when it is time to eat! Store the pureed butternut squash pasta sauce in the fridge in an airtight container for at most two weeks - there is no dairy in it, so it should last quite some time! If you’re storing the sauce with the cream added to it by following all the steps of the recipe, then this will reduce the fridge-life of the sauce. I would keep it for 7 to 10 days, depending on how fresh your cream was.
Serving Suggestions for Butternut Squash and Sausage Pasta
Vegetables:Garlic Butter Broccoli, roasted peppers or zucchini, or some steamed peas or green beans will add some colour and extra fibre to your meal!
Salad: Arugula Goat Cheese Salad or Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad will be a great side dish to your butternut squash pasta!
Bread: Some good crusty bread like a baguette or Ciabatta adds a great crunch and texture! You could also scoop up the sauce with some nice Soft and Fluffy Dinner Rolls!
More Comforting Winter pasta Dishes!
Watch How to Make Creamy Butternut Squash & Sausage Pasta Here:
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Creamy Butternut Squash & Sausage Rigatoni
Ingredients
- 3 tsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
- 1 tsp red chilli flakes
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried sage
- 2 Cups vegetable broth
- 6 oz rigatoni
- 2 pork sausages of choice (I used andouille and chorizo)
- spinach
- 2 tsp butter
- 1/3 Cup 10% cream
- 1/4 Cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a pan on medium heat and then add 2 tsp of olive oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add onions, garlic and a pinch of salt and saute until onions soften and turn translucent.
- Add the diced butternut squash along with a pinch of salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and mix well. Cook with the lid on for 10-15 minutes or until the squash starts to soften. Add oregano and sage, mix well and continue to cook with lid on for 2-3 more mins or until you can easily break the squash with the end of a wooden/silicon spoon.
- Transfer the mixture from the pan to a food processor, add vegetable broth and blend until smooth. Set aside for later.
- In the meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a rolling boil for the pasta. Once boiling, season the water with salt and add the rigatoni. Cook until al dente.
- To cook the sausage, heat a pan on medium and then add 1 tsp of olive oil. Add the sausage and cook until it has browned. Break and large lumps of sausage as you continue to cook it.
- Add the spinach leaves and cook until it has shriveled up and turns the mixture fragrant. Add 3 ladles or about 2 1/2 to 3 Cups of the butternut squash sauce from earlier. Reserve any remaining sauce for another portion of pasta or use it all if you are doubling the other ingredients.
- Mix well and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Add the cooked pasta and taste for seasoning. The dish should be slightly under-seasoned at this point. Add the butter, cream and parmesan cheese and mix well. If the sauce is too thick, thin it out using the pasta water until it gets the your preferred consistency.
- Taste and adjust for seasoning and serve right away with more parmesan as needed.
Nutrition info is an estimate.
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Welcome to Cooking With Anadi. This platform is all about making cooking exciting and finding new ways to bring classic flavours and recipes at your service. Join me in my personal journey in the world of cooking. Hope you have a great ride!
