This Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta is the most delicious Fall dinner! Perfectly cooked rigatoni smothered in a super easy homemade pasta sauce made from roasted butternut squash and garlic – add in some juicy Italian sausage and you’re all set for a delicious and simple meal!
This post was originally published in September 2020 – I’ve since updated the photos and tweaked the recipe. The original recipe notes are in the notes of the recipe card!
You guys! This recipe is Fall in a bowl. It’s SO delicious! Pasta is always the best comfort food in the Fall – especially when it’s made with the best seasonal butternut squash!!
I feel like butternut squash is severely underrated in Fall recipes – pumpkin is often the star, but I think that butternut squash should 100% be the MVP. It’s savory, sweet and has the absolute BEST flavor when it’s roasted!
Not only is this recipe SO yummy – let me tell you the best part – It’s made with only 5 INGREDIENTS! Yup, you read that right!
We’re all looking for something easy, simple and comforting. And this recipe is exactly that! Hello simple weeknight dinner!
Why This Recipe is the BEST!
I love how balanced this recipe is! You roast both the butternut squash and the garlic which brings out the natural sweetness and caramelization in BOTH.
Have y’all ever roasted garlic? I’ve posted a few recipes with it on my blog in the past and y’all – it’s SO good. It’s the simplest way to elevate flavor in a recipe. It results in a savory, sweet, caramelized flavor that pairs perfectly with the butternut squash!
The natural sweetness of the dish is balanced with the savoriness of the Italian sausage!
I used the sweet Italian sausage since I have a toddler but you can absolutely use Spicy Italian sausage for for some extra spice.
I love a good creamy pasta sauce and this sauce is SO creamy – I used both the starchy pasta water and half and half to yield the creaminess. The good news though? Sometimes creamy pasta sauces can be so overly rich – but the half and half is never too rich for this recipe!
The rigatoni is the perfect pasta for this recipe – first off, It’s cooked to perfection – al dente deliciousness! The pasta itself is large, yet the sauce fully coats each noodle in every bite.
Overall – it’s so scrumptious. Lusciously delicious huge bites of pasta with that creamy sauce and perfectly caramelized Italian sausage in each bite! What could be better? Let’s get into how to make it!
Ingredients You Need:
- Ground Sweet Italian Sausage – you can sub spicy if you’d like!
- Rigatoni pasta – this is the perfect pasta for this! Be sure to SAVE the pasta water!
- Butternut squash – use fresh! To save time, use pre chopped from the grocery store!
- Garlic – use a large bulb!
- Half and half – a must for creaminess!
- Salt + pepper to taste! (doesn’t count since it’s a spice, right?!) – I also like garnishing with fresh herbs and red pepper flakes!
How to Make Pasta Step by Step:
- First, preheat the oven to 450. Grab a large bulb of garlic and slice to expose the tops of the cloves. Place the garlic bulb on a sheet of aluminum foil, drizzle with a dash of olive oil, season with a pinch of salt and pepper and then wrap it up, careful not to spill any oil. Set aside for now.
- Next, carefully dice the butternut squash into bite size pieces using a sharp knife. Or, I would highly recommend buying the butternut squash pre-cut! Spread the diced butternut squash on a baking sheet and add 1 tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp of salt and combine with your hands until it’s all covered. Add the bulb of garlic onto the sheet pan as well.
- Roast for 25 minutes, flipping the pieces of squash halfway. They will be done when they are fork tender and the cloves of garlic are also fork tender.
- While the squash is cooking, cook the Italian sausage. Add a large pan on medium heat and add a splash of olive oil. Break up the sausage and cook for 7-10 minutes or until fully cooked through, stirring occasionally.
- When the squash and garlic are done, remove the cloves from the garlic bulb and add both the roasted cloves and butternut squash to a heat safe blender. (You can also let them cool and then add them to a regular blender). Blend until the sauce is pureed. Add 1/2 cup of half and half. Taste and add a pinch of salt if necessary.
- Next, make your pasta! Follow the box instructions to cook the pasta al dente. Save at least 1 cup of your pasta water when you are draining the cooked pasta! Set aside for now.
- Remove once cooked and set on a plate. Add in the pasta water to deglaze the pan – about 2 tbsp worth and using a spatula, make sure to get the cooked sausage bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Next, add in the cooked pasta and the butternut squash sauce. Mix to combine and place on low heat. Add in 1 cup of half and half as well as about 3/4 cup of pasta water and the cooked sausage. Mix to combine and let heat up on the stove for a few minutes.
- Taste and add additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Once warmed through, serve with crushed red pepper on top and fresh herbs. Enjoy!
Ways to Elevate This Recipe:
Alright so, yes, this recipe is 5 ingredients but if you wanted to make it extra special – here are a few things I recommend!
First, when you’re working with a 5 ingredient recipe, I challenge you to truly utilize EVERY ingredient that you are using to the max! For example, don’t throw out that starchy pasta water, use it!
Don’t just clean the pan after you get done browning the sausage – add in the pasta water to deglaze the pan and get that delicious caramelized bits and flavor from the sausage!
Utilize your spice cabinet! I only use salt in this recipe – but I’m sure that a little bit of heat would go a long way here – especially red pepper flakes!
If you have fresh herbs, or if you’re like me and have a barely hanging on basil plant outside – use them! I think fresh basil, thyme or sage works well for this recipe.
Lastly, if you want to make the sauce SUPER rich, add a splash of heavy cream with the half and half. Hello decadence!
Storing Leftovers:
Store cooked pasta leftovers in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, warming it through each time you’re ready for leftovers!
Overall, this recipe is amazing as is – the perfectly al dente pasta, the caramelized sausage, the luxurious creamy sauce – it’s Fall comfort deliciousness. Enjoy, my friends! -Haylie
Did you like this recipe? Here are a few others you might like:
Butternut Squash Fettuccine Alfredo
Delicata Squash Soap with Crispy Garlic Chickpeas
Thank you so much for following along here, friends! Want to see more? Be sure to follow ourbalancedbowl on Instagram and tag me with your photo if you end up making a recipe! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the Our Balanced Bowl Facebook page! Like a recipe that you saw? Follow me on Pinterest here! I always love to see your re-creations! If you do make a recipe, it would make my whole day if you were to rate and comment so I can get your feedback! Lots of love! – Haylie
Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta
This Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta is the most delicious Fall dinner! Perfectly cooked rigatoni smothered in a super easy homemade pasta sauce made from roasted butternut squash and garlic - add in some juicy Italian sausage and you’re all set for a delicious and simple meal!
Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, ground
- 1 large bulb garlic
- 4 cups diced butternut squash
- 10-12 oz. rigatoni pasta
- 1 and 1/2 cups half and half
- 1 and 1/2 cups reserved pasta water
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil (divided)
- crushed red pepper and fresh herbs to garnish
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
-
Chop the top of your garlic bulb to expose the cloves. Place the bulb on top of a small sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle with 1 tsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Wrap this in the foil careful not to spill the oil. Set aside for now.
-
While waiting, carefully dice the butternut squash into bite size pieces using a sharp knife. Or, if you want to save some time, I would highly recommend buying the butternut squash pre-cut! Spread the diced butternut squash on a baking sheet and add 1 tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp of salt and combine using your hands until it's all coated. Add the aluminum foil wrapped garlic onto the sheet pan as well.
-
Add in the baking sheet with the butternut squash and garlic. Roast for 25 minutes, flipping the pieces of squash halfway. They will be done when they are both fork tender.
-
When the squash are garlic are done, remove the cloves from the garlic bulb and add both the roasted cloves and butternut squash to a heat safe blender. (You can also let them cool and then add them to a regular blender).
-
Blend until the sauce is pureed. Add 1/2 cup of half and half. Taste and add a large pinch of salt if necessary.
-
Next, make your pasta! Follow the box instructions to cook the pasta al dente. Save around 1.5 cups of your pasta water when you are draining the cooked pasta! Set aside for now.
-
In a large and deep pan, warm it on medium heat and add a splash of olive oil followed by the italian sausage. Break it up and cook through, 7-10 minutes or until it's fully cooked through.
-
Remove once it is fully cooked and set on a plate. Add in the pasta water to deglaze the pan - about 2 tbsp worth and using a spatula, make sure to get the cooked sausage bits from the bottom of the pan.
-
Next, add in the cooked pasta and the butternut squash sauce. Mix to combine and place on low heat. Add in 1 cup of half and half as well as about 3/4 cup of pasta water and the cooked sausage. Mix to combine and let heat up on the stove for a few minutes. Taste and add a large pinch of salt and some pepper if needed for additional spice.
-
Once warmed, serve the pasta! Garnish with crushed red pepper and fresh herbs (thyme, basil, sage etc.) Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
The original recipe called for chicken sausage. If you want to use that, simply cut the chicken sausage into rounds and cook where you would the Italian sausage.
Be sure to remember to save 1 and 1/2 cups of pasta water!
A hearty bowl of pasta is a cozy fall dish, but when you add butternut squash, you make it the ultimate fall pasta dish. Looks delicious Haylie!
The ultimate Fall dish! Yes! Thank you Leanne 🙂
Looks delicious, Haylie! Butternut squash pasta is the best. So creamy and you get a little bit of healthiness to it too!!
Yes! I love how creamy it makes the sauce…so delicious 🙂 Thanks Katherine!
Made this recipe exactly as read besides using chickpea pasta for more protein. Loved it so much!!! Thanks, Haley!
Ainsly, thank you so much for the kind review! I’m so so happy you loved the recipe so much. Love subbing in chickpea pasta as well – YUM! 🙂