Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta with Sausage and Spinach is a perfect Autumn comfort food. This easy and flavorful recipe is packed with veggies (roasted butternut squash and spinach) and will become your favorite Fall and Winter family weeknight dinner!
Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta - Seasonal and Holiday Main Course
Butternut squash pasta is one of those recipes you would probably make only in the Fall and Winter when the butternut squash is in season. Which makes this pasta so much more special! It's so good I hope you will be looking forward to making it every year! My other favorite butternut squash pasta dish that I highly recommend is butternut squash and spinach lasagna.
This easy pasta is also a great holiday main course. If you want to expand your Thanksgiving or Christmas menu, add this colorful and flavorful roasted butternut squash pasta to your holiday menu! Another fantastic holiday recipe is Roasted Butternut Squash and Brussels sprouts with Pecans and Cranberries.
Why Make Butternut Squash Pasta
This roasted butternut squash pasta is one of those rare pasta recipes that combine both comfort food deliciousness and healthy ingredients. This pasta is surely comforting yet it's packed with fiber and nutrients. A perfect family weeknight dinner!
- Butternut squash is an excellent source of vitamins A, B6, C, and E, as well as several minerals, including magnesium, manganese, and potassium. Butternut squash is also rich in dietary fiber.
- Spinach is packed with nutrients and antioxidants. It’s high in fiber and a good source of many vitamins and minerals. Spinach is a great source of vitamins A and C, as well as folic acid, iron, and calcium.
How To Make Butternut Squash Pasta
Ingredients
- Bow Tie Pasta. This recipe uses an Italian pasta, called Farfalle, or bow tie pasta. The bow-tie shape of this pasta works very well with the cubed butternut squash and adds an appealing look to your dinner. Cook bow-tie pasta al dente for best texture.
- Butternut Squash. This wonderful vegetable is known for its subtly sweet and nutty flavor. In this recipe, butternut squash is roasted with olive oil and acquires a nice soft texture on the inside with a little crunch on the outside.
- Sausage. If you have a spicy sausage somewhere in your fridge or freezer, this is the recipe to use it! Spicy sausage will blend exceptionally well with sweet and nutty butternut squash and creamy pasta sauce. Use crumbled sausage without casings. Any type of pork sausage, spicy sausage, or Italian sausage will work!
- Spinach. Spinach adds flavor, texture, and colorfulness to this pasta dish.
How to Roast Butternut Squash
For everything you need to know about roasting this fantastic vegetable, refer to my recipe on how to roast butternut squash.
The butternut squash should be peeled, seeded, and cubed. You can do it yourself or buy cubed butternut squash in the store. Tip: If you peeled, seeded, and cubed butternut squash ahead (or bought cubed squash in the store), you can store it refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Use cubed butternut squash within 2 days.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Combine butternut squash with 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Toss together.
- Then, spread the squash on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Make sure the butternut squash is not overcrowded. This way the air can circulate around the squash in the oven and the squash roasts properly instead of steaming. Roasted this way, without overcrowding, will give squash a slightly crunchy texture on the outside. This will ensure that the squash is roasted and not steamed.
- Roast the squash in the preheated oven at 400 F for 30 minutes.
How To Make Creamy Pasta Sauce
While the butternut squash is being roasted, prepare the cream sauce.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil together with 4 minced garlic cloves and 6 oz of spinach. Cook on medium heat for about 5 to 7 minutes, until the spinach starts to wilt.
- Add heavy cream. Bring to boil and immediately reduce to a low or medium boil.
- Add shredded Parmesan cheese while the sauce simmers, constantly stirring.
- Season with salt to taste, about ¼ teaspoon of salt. Note: No salt is necessary if the sausage is very salty.
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.
How Long to Cook Pasta
- Usually, the pasta is cooked in a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes. Always check the cooking time on the package instructions for precise times of cooking pasta.
- To prepare any pasta al dente, cook pasta in boiling water for 8 minutes, or for 2 minutes less than indicated on the package instructions.
Assemble the Pasta
- Add drained cooked pasta and cooked sausage to the creamy spinach sauce in the skillet. Stir. Season with salt and pepper.
- Top with roasted butternut squash. Stir it in, or leave butternut squash on top.
Tips on Making Pasta Ahead
Make-ahead Tip: Roast butternut squash up to 2 days ahead. Keep it refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to use. Reheat it briefly in the microwave (for about 30 seconds) before adding it to the pasta. Or, just add it to the creamy pasta sauce, stir it in and reheat it in the cream sauce.
How to Store, Freeze, Reheat Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta
- Refrigerate. Store leftover butternut squash pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freeze. You can freeze butternut squash pasta in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
- Reheat. Reheat the pasta gently on the stovetop in the skillet over medium heat, stirring halfway through. Add extra milk or heavy cream to thin out the sauce.
It's always best to serve bow tie pasta (or any pasta) al dente. That's when the pasta texture is at its best. Storing cooked pasta for a day or two will cause the pasta to lose its perfect texture, however, it will still taste great.
Also, keep in mind that the cream sauce when refrigerated loses its texture and becomes thick. To reheat it the next day, reheat over medium heat and add extra milk or heavy creamy when reheating to thin out the sauce.
Substitutions
- Pasta. Use any type of short pasta. That includes farfalle (bow-tie pasta), penne, rigatoni, fusilli, or orecchiette. You can also use gnocchi.
- Spinach. This butternut squash pasta will work equally well with spinach, kale, Swiss chard, or arugula. Pick the greens of your choice, add them to the pasta, and enjoy!
- Sausage. Use crumbled sausage without casings. Regular or spicy pork sausage (such as Jimmy Dean brand) is a great choice. Crumbled Italian sausage or spicy Italian sausage is another excellent option.
- Cheese. Use shredded Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, or Asiago. You can also use shredded low-moisture part-skim Mozzarella cheese. Do not use soft Mozzarella cheese balls.
- Cream. If you don't have heavy cream, you can use half-and-half instead and add more shredded cheese to thicken the sauce.
Other Butternut Squash Pasta Recipes
Butternut squash is an amazing vegetable that pairs beautifully with pasta, whether the squash is roasted or pureed. Here are some delicious butternut squash pasta recipes to explore:
- Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter and Pecans
- Butternut Squash and Spinach Tortellini
- Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna
What to Serve with Butternut Squash Pasta
- Salad. Because this pasta has a rich creamy sauce with lots of veggies, any type of simple fresh salad will make an excellent pairing. Serve this pasta with a simple spinach salad with pine nuts and Parmesan or cranberry spinach salad with cashews and goat cheese. Or, pair the pasta with the colorful and easy-to-make arugula salad with apples, cranberries, and pecans.
- Bread. Serve the pasta with warm garlic bread or olive bread. If you want to venture out and make your own simple loaf - try this easy bread recipe made in a bread machine.
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
- ½ lb sausage , crumbled, without casings
Creamy Pasta Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 6 oz spinach
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese shredded
- ¼ 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.
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I used sweet potatoes because my husband hates all squash + it turned out delicious!! Such a wonderful autumn dish!
Lynna, so glad you enjoyed this dish! And so good to know that it worked well with sweet potatoes!
Delicious!!! I read some of the comments and added sautéed onions, mushrooms and used kale instead of spinach.
I browned the sausage first, then added onions to soften them. sautéed the mushrooms in a separate skillet. For the kale, I should have added the garlic after it wilted a bit, since the garlic burned a bit for me. Added red pepper flakes and parmesan on top! Great for reheating too. Will make again!!
Shelby, I love your version of this recipe - more veggies and good use of kale! I also love the addition of red pepper flakes and parmesan cheese on top - delicious and good for presentation, too!
Can you use frozen butternut squash by any chance? Looking forward to making this!
I can't see some of the recipe because of all the ads. Not very helpful. I have no idea how much cream to put in...
I believe 1 cup cream was stated in the ingredients. Hope this helps.
1 cup
Yes, it's 1 cup of heavy cream.
D, it's 1 cup of cream.
I used frozen butternut that I froze raw. It’s a little mushier so I kept it separate and added it on top.
Cathy, yes, frozen cubed butternut squash will work great!
Nicole, yes, you can! You don't have to thaw it.
Preheat oven to 425 F.
Toss frozen cut-up butternut squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and spread on a baking sheet without overcrowding. Roast on the lowest rack for about 20 minutes.
Can you use ground turkey instead of sausage? Was going to make this tonight with the turkey but now having second thoughts.
Adam, this would be delicious with ground turkey! No second thoughts! I even made it that way, here it is:
https://juliasalbum.com/ground-turkey-pasta-with-butternut-squash-and-spinach/
Just wanted to share for my DF friends that I used canned coconut - just the cream, in place of the heavy cream. It was a big hit with our family!
Amanda, thank you for sharing this info - very helpful!
Just the cream of one can?
Sarah, yes, if it's a 13 ounce or 14 ounce can of unsweetened coconut cream (milk) - just use a whole can!
Amanda! Thank you or sharing this info because this was my exact thought to use canned coconut milk instead!
Unsweetened coconut milk (or cream) works great in this recipe!
Looks delicious! What kind of sausage did you use? Italian, breakfast, or other kind?
Linda, I used spicy Italian sausage (crumbled). You can also use crumbled Italian sausage that is sweet or mild. Not breakfast sausage.
This was so delicious, even my 4 year old and 1.5 year old loved it! I forgot to get heavy cream but also wanted a lower fat option so I swapped the heavy cream for 1 cup of milk mixed with 2 tablespoons of corn starch. It was so good, and while there is probably a noticeable difference between the milk and heavy cream for the sauce, I actually forgot I made the swap until after I ate. I also added some frozen peas to the pot while cooking the spinach and garlic. It was delicious!
Victoria, I am so flattered by your comment! Glad your family loved the recipe. Thank you for sharing that using a cup of milk mixed with a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch worked as a substitute for heavy cream - helpful information for other readers who might want to try that option.
I followed this exactly as the recipe stated and it is AMAZING. Will be a new one to have often. Yum!!
Nicole, thank you so much for such an enthusiastic comment - love it! 🙂
This was so delicious I made it for my daughter after she had a baby and everyone loved it, even the 9 & 5 year old
Kelly, I am so happy to hear everyone loved this dish! Thank you for sharing your positive feedback - I really appreciate it! 🙂
I added chopped onions, mushrooms, half a lemon, thyme, and corriander. Amazing!!
Shannon, I love your delicious additions! Thank you for sharing!
This dish was a case of too many good ingredients forced into a dish, resulting in a massively rich sauce that overwhelmed the individual ingredients.. The dish was fine with just the sausage and roasted squash, and some caramelized onion. And a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese.
Luckily I tried only a small amount of the creamed spinach with the sausage and squash and it overwhelmed everything and was way too rich, so I didn’t put it in, but used it a few days later for its own pasta sauce
Marina, thank you for such constructive feedback! Good to know this recipe worked well even without the cream and the spinach. And, glad you found a good use for the creamy spinach you already made. 🙂