Go Back

Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta With Sausage And Spinach

Creamy butternut squash pasta with sausage and spinach is a rich Italian-American dinner made by simmering squash puree with heavy cream, then tossing with rigatoni using reserved pasta water for a silky sauce. Italian sausage adds savory crumbles and the spinach wilts into the orange cream coating.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 840
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

rigatoni or penne
  • 1 lb rigatoni or penne
Italian sausage, casings removed
  • 1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
baby spinach
  • 4 cup baby spinach
onion, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
garlic, minced
  • 4 garlic, minced
butternut squash puree
  • 2 cup butternut squash puree
heavy cream
  • 1 cup heavy cream
pasta cooking water
  • 0.5 cup pasta cooking water
parmesan, grated
  • 1 cup parmesan, grated
Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
nutmeg
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg
red pepper flakes
  • 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 Salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Cook pasta
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then cook rigatoni or penne until al dente. Before draining, reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water.
Brown sausage and build the sauce base
  1. Brown the Italian sausage in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, then drain excess fat and set the sausage aside.
  2. Sauté the onion in the same skillet for 4 minutes until softened, stirring as needed.
  3. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant.
  4. Stir in butternut squash puree and heavy cream, then add nutmeg and red pepper flakes.
Simmer and combine
  1. Simmer the sauce for 5 minutes, then add parmesan and stir until completely smooth and melted.
  2. Toss the cooked pasta with the sauce and drizzle in reserved pasta cooking water until glossy and evenly coated.
  3. Add the baby spinach and toss until wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes.
  4. Return the sausage to the pan, season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss to heat through.

Notes

For the silkiest texture, simmer the squash-cream sauce gently and add parmesan off any harsh boiling to prevent graininess. Store leftovers in the fridge up to 3 days; reheat with a splash of milk or water to loosen the sauce. Freeze is not recommended because cream sauce can separate after thawing. If you want a lower-fat option, swap heavy cream for half-and-half (the sauce will be a bit lighter).