Creamy Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta with Sausage and Spinach

 

Ingredients

Roasted Butternut Squash

• 2 cups butternut squash , peeled, seeded, and cubed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper

Sausage

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 lb sausage , crumbled, without casings

Creamy Pasta Sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 6 oz spinach
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
• 1/4 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.
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