Sausage Butternut Squash Pasta is the perfect sweet combo of sweet and salty fall flavors. Italian sausage and rigatoni covered in a delicious parmesan cream sauce which gets part of its creaminess from the squash.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Total Time 45 minutesminutes
Servings 6
Ingredients
8ozrigatoni
1butternut squash
1lbground Italian sausage
1tspfresh sage
1yellow onion
4Cchicken stock
½CC grated parmesan
1lemon
1Cheavy cream
2Tbfresh Italian flat leaf parsley
2Tbolive oil
½tspsalt
½tspblack pepper
pinchfresh ground nutmeg*
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season the water with a generous tablespoon of salt.
While the water comes to a boil, peel the butternut squash then split down the middle vertically and remove the pulp and seeds from the inside. Once cleaned, dice into 1-inch pieces. Finely dice the onion and set aside. Finely mince the sage.
Place the butternut squash in a large heavy bottom saucepan. Cover the squash with chicken stock and heat the pan over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for about 15-20 minutes or until tender.
Once the salted water has come to a boil, add the rigatoni and cook until al dente based on package instructions. Drain the pasta once cooked and coat with a bit of olive oil to avoid sticking. Set aside.
As the squash cooks, heat 2 Tb olive oil in a large nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion to the preheated pan and let it soften for about 3 minutes.
Add the ground sausage and break up into bite size pieces. You can use a wooden spoon to break up the meat, but if you want a super efficient tool for the job, check out the ground meat chopper that I've linked to above. It's an awesome kitchen gadget!
Season and sausage with salt and pepper. Cook the pork until browned and cooked through. Turn off the heat and set aside.
Once the butternut squash is fall apart tender and the chicken stock has reduced, add the heavy cream and ground nutmeg to the pot. Continue to boil for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally until the sauce has reduced by about half.
Add the juice of 1 lemon, sage and ¼ C of grated parmesan (reserve ¼ for garnish) and stir until cheese is melted and ingredients are combined. Boil for another 2 minutes stirring constantly until the sauce thickens up to a nice creamy consistency.
Add the sausage mixture and pasta to the sauce and mix well to combine. Roughly chop the fresh parsley and add to the pasta. Mix well.
At this point, the pasta is ready to serve or you can make the dish ahead. If eating right away, garnish with the remaining ¼ C grated parmesan and enjoy!
If you're making ahead, pour the pasta mixture into a lightly greased 9" x 13" casserole dish. Top with the grated parmesan and cover with foil. The dish will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days before baking. When ready to eat, place the covered dish into a preheated oven at 350 degrees and cook for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 or until golden and bubbly.
Notes
* You can find whole fresh nutmeg that can be grated when needed in the spice aisle. I've linked above to a great grinder/container that I always keep stocked in my freezer where it will keep for up to a year.