Hi, my name is Alden and I love Fall….and Italian food. The HIH roasted butternut squash pasta sauce is just the ticket when I’m craving Fall flavors like butternut squash and sage AND I want to curl up with a hearty bowl of pasta and warm up from a chilly day. Goat cheese is the not so secret ingredient that makes this sauce extra special! The little bit of tang and added creaminess round out a lovely combination of Fall flavors ready for your favorite pasta. Winner winner Fall pasta dinner!
My favorite way to serve this pasta sauce is tossed with a filled pasta like ravioli or tortelloni. There are so many delicious filled pastas at the grocery store these days. I love the Giovanni Rana fresh pastas you find in the refrigerated section in most grocery stores. If you’re looking to keep it vegetarian, a cheese or mushroom filled pasta will do the trick. My favorite variety of fill pasta to pair with this sauce is Italian sausage.
Giovani Rana and other fresh/refrigerated filled pastas cook so fast. Make the sauce ahead of time and all you have to do is boil some water, cook the pasta for 3-4 minutes, toss with the sauce and serve! That’s a delicious, home cooked dinner on the table in under 20 minutes! For busy foodies, like me and likely you if you’re reading, that’s a winning combination.
If filled pastas aren’t your thing, this sauce is great for short pastas like rigatoni or penne. I like to brown up some Italian sausage and add to the sauce before tossing with the pasta. For all of my low carb readers, I recommend spooning some of this sauce over a chicken breast. No one should be left out of enjoying this delicious sauce!
Keys to Success
- Don’t let the daunting task of peeling breaking down a whole butternut squash stop you! Just about every grocery store has fresh or frozen cubed butternut squash. Sometimes convenience is looked down upon, but don’t let that get in the way of adding this delicious sauce to your menu!
- Make it ahead. Fall can be a really busy time. This butternut squash pasta sauce is wonderful to have ready in the fridge for the week or ready to thaw in the freezer. Plus, the actual work you as the chef has to do is pretty minimal. All the hard work is done in the oven when roasting!
Pasta Tips
- Heat the sauce! Well, you don’t have to…but I do highly recommend it! Hot pasta + cold sauce, means you’ll probably have to reheat the dish. If the sauce is warmed in a high sided skillet, it’s super easy to transfer your cooked pasta to the warmed sauce, toss together and serve! If you use a beautiful piece of cookware, like this Le Creuset braiser, your can go from stove to table like an entertaining pro!
- Pasta water is your friend. Pasta recipes at HIH, like the carbonara, chicken and broccoli pasta, and rustic tomato basil rigatoni all call for reserving some starchy pasta water. If you find that the sauce is too thick, using small amounts of the pasta water will not only thin the sauce, but it will help it hold to the pasta itself. Inflation is ridiculous, take free ingredient!
Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce
Equipment
- 1 blender
- 1 rimmed baking sheet
- 1 chef's knife
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded, and cubed 1.5-2lbs
- 1 shallot, quartered
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled and whole
- 1 teaspoon dried ground sage
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flake
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper + more to taste
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5-7 fresh sage leaves
- 4 oz goat cheese
- ¼ cup heavy cream optional, not included in nutrition information
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400°F
- Spread cubed butternut squash, garlic, shallot, ground sage, crushed red pepper flake (optional), salt and pepper on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to evenly coat. Place the fresh sage leaves on top.
- Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes until the squash is tender.
- Transfer the ingredients from the rimmed baking sheet into a blender along with the goat cheese. Blend until combined. If sauce is too thick, thin with water, 1/4 cup at a time.
- Optional, add ¼ cup heavy cream and blend just until combined.
- Taste, add salt and or pepper to taste.
- Serve immediately with your favorite pasta, store in the fridge for up to 1 week, or freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
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