Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Pasta Skillet
This recipe for Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Pasta Skillet has been in the making for a couple years. I wanted to re-create my Butternut Squash Lasagna Roll-ups recipe into one-pot skillet form. Last fall I made one attempt that I wasn’t happy with, and didn’t try again until recently. Well, we hit the jackpot with this one! Absolutely LOVE this recipe.
How cute are these mini lasagna noodles?! It’s actually called Mafalda, and it’s perfect for this recipe, since it’s a version of my original Butternut Squash Lasagna Roll-ups. One thing to note is that this pasta can very quickly overcook. More so than other shapes I’ve noticed. Just something to note!
This recipe starts by roasting a whole bulb of garlic with butternut squash. Slice the tips off of the cloves to expose the garlic like pictured above. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and wrap in foil. It get’s roasted on the pan with the cubed butternut squash.
If you love a good short cut option, buy the pre-cubed squash in your produce area. It’s a lot easier than having to peel and cube a whole butternut squash if that’s not something you’re comfortable doing. These little cubes and sweet roasted garlic becomes such a dreamy sauce.
The sauce
The squash and garlic blend together with Parmesan, ricotta, and stock. A blender or food processor works great for getting a smooth texture.
I use a sweet Italian turkey sausage in this recipe, but pork sausage would be great too. Season it with Italian seasoning and some dry rubbed sage for a boost of herby flavor.
Serve this up in bowls and top with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, a dollop of creamy ricotta, and a drizzle of prepared basil pesto. My roll-up recipe has a pesto cream sauce, so this really brings out that flavor profile, and is NOT to be missed.
It is soooo soo good! I’m looking forward to trying it with some heartier pastas, like a whole wheat rigatoni or penne. Yum!
Let me know if you try this Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Pasta Skillet! Enjoy!
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Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Pasta Skillet
Ingredients
- 3 cups butternut squash (about 1 squash) peeled & cubed
- 1 head garlic outside paper removed
- Drizzle olive oil
- 12 oz Mafalda pasta
- 1 lb sweet Italian turkey or pork sausage
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning blend
- 1 tsp rubbed sage flakes
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1+ cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup whole milk ricotta cheese plus more for serving
- 1+ cup vegetable or chicken stock
- Prepared basil pesto for serving
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 425°. Line a large baking sheet pan with parchment paper. Arrange cubed butternut squash on the baking sheet, and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Keeping the garlic bulb whole, slice off the tips of the cloves, exposing the garlic. Place on a small sheet of foil, drizzle with olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper, wrap in the foil and place on the sheet pan with the squash. Roast for 30-40 minutes. If squash cubes are very small, the squash may be done before the garlic. Garlic will take about 40 minutes. Squash should be fork tender, not charred, and garlic fragrant, golden brown, and very soft.
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While the squash is roasting, brown the sausage with the yellow onion in a large skillet. Season with sage, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Drain excess fat if needed. Keep on low once browned until ready to combine ingredients.
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta to al dente or even under, according to box instructions. Reserve 2 cups pasta water.
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To a food processor or blender, add roasted squash, garlic, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup ricotta cheese, 1 cup stock, and pinch of salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Add additional stock to thin it out a bit if needed.
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Add cooked pasta and squash mixture to the skillet with the sausage, and bring heat up to medium. Stir to combine. Stir in additional pasta water as needed for consistency. Stir in the other 1/2 cup of fresh grated Parmesan cheese. Taste for seasoning, add salt and pepper as needed.
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Serve in bowls with a dollop of whole milk ricotta, a drizzle of prepared basil pesto, and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
Recipe Notes
Be careful to not overcook your pasta. Undercook by 1-2 minutes, it will finish cooking in the sauce. Any short-cut shape will work nicely. A whole wheat pasta would also be really delicious.
2 Comments
Tracey
Made this for dinner tonight— delicious!
Laura Doerr
Yay! So glad you tried it already and enjoyed! Thank you so much!