When it comes to crafting a memorable and delectable dish, the fusion of diverse flavors can often result in culinary brilliance. One such tantalizing creation is the Pork Chop Pasta with Creamy Butternut Squash Sauce. This dish seamlessly marries the rich and savory flavors of pork chops with the velvety sweetness of butternut squash sauce, resulting in a symphony of tastes that is sure to delight the palate. In this article, we will explore the art of preparing this mouthwatering dish, from the choice of ingredients to the step-by-step cooking process.
CREAMY BUTTERNUT SQUASH PASTA AND SAUSAGE
Fall is my favorite time of year in the kitchen and baking this Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta and Sausage is no exception. The summer months the last thing I want to do is turn the oven on and bake anything. As soon as that weather begins to turn, that oven rarely turns off. There are so many great recipes to make in the oven. This Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta and Sausage doesn’t need to bake at all if you don’t want, but it gives a nice crisp top from the breadcrumbs and cheese like a baked Mac and Cheese dish. Try it out with the recipe below!
Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta and Sausage
Ingredients
Roasted Butternut Squash
- 4 cups butternut squash cubed
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tbsp avocado or olive oil
Creamy Butternut Squash Sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 sage leaves
- ⅔ cup chicken broth
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 3 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 ¼ cup ricotta cheese
- 1 ¼ cup mozzarella
- ¼ cup pasta water
Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta and Sausage
- 1 lb hot italian sausage
- ½ cup italian bread crumbs
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated or shredded
- 1 lb pasta ziti or rigatoni
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°
- Chop butternut squash into cubes and lay on sheet pan
- Pour tbsp avocado or olive oil and nutmeg over the squash and mix well so each butternut squash cube is coated
- Bake for 40 minutes
- While the squash is roasting, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook pasta. Save at least a ½ cup of pasta water
- Cook hot Italian sausage and drain grease
- In oven save deep pot or pan over low heat add 1 tbsp olive oil and sage of low heat
- Once the sage is fragrant add the roasted butternut squash, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and let cook a few minutes in the pan
- Slowly pour in the chicken broth and bring heat to medium. Bring to a simmer
- Lower heat and use immersion blender to blend the butternut squash, sage, chicken broth, and spices well to a thick paste. If you don’t have an immersion blender pour into blender and blend until smooth
- Once mixed well keep heat on low to medium and add in ricotta cheese, mozzarella, and red pepper. Fold and mix well into butternut squash
- Slowly pour in the pasta water. We like ½ cup but if it’s too thick add a bit more
- Keep stirring and add in the hot Italian sausage and pasta. Mix well until fully combined
- Level out the pasta and sprinkle the beadcrumbs and parmesan cheese on top of the pasta
- Bake for 20 minutes and serve!
Do I have to keep the spicy ingredients?
Butternut Squash is one of my favorite fall foods to cook with, it has a naturally creamy flavor with a hint of sweetness. You can add this as a side to just about any dish or use it as the main course like this Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta and Sausage. We made sure to use Hot Italian Sausage and red pepper flakes to spice this up a bit. If you are looking for a smooth creamy flavor, use Mild Italian Sausage and opt out of the red pepper flakes if you are not a fan of spice.
When you blend the Butternut Squash we keep in the sage, this is optional. We want to get a stronger flavor to the squash. You can choose to roast the butternut with the sage and then sauté it as well and remove the leaves, which ever options you choose it will be yummy! If you don’t have an immersion blender for this Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta and Sausage feel free to just toss everything in a regular blender and blend until smooth.
If you are a fan of butternut squash, make sure to try out our Butternut Squash Carbonara!
From our kitchen to yours, cheers!