Butternut Squash Pasta

Everyone will LOVE this Comforting Fall Favorite Easy Butternut Squash Pasta! This dish is creamy, cheesy, and so delicious. It is an EASY dinner you will be making this fall. With a few extra garnishes, you can turn this Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta home-cooked meal into the PERFECT restaurant-quality dish.

Creamy One-Pot Butternut Squash Pasta

Serves 4-6

1 Butternut Squash, cubed into 1” pieces

4 Cloves Garlic, minced

½ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

1 Pound Rigatoni Pasta

4 Tablespoons Butter

½ Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

4 tablespoons olive oil

Sage leaves

Salt and Pepper to taste

Optional Garnishes

Burrata, Red Pepper Flakes, Fried Sage Leaves, Shaved Parmesan

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add Rigatoni Pasta. Cook pasta until it is al dente. At that point, remove pasta from the water and set it aside until ready to use. Remember: save about 1 cup of pasta water – just in case.

2. In a sauté pan, add cubed butternut squash and just enough water to cover the squash. Let cook until squash is tender. Once tender, transfer the butternut squash to a blender and puree. Use the cooking water to help blend into a creamy puree. I used about 1 ½ – 2 cups of liquid.

3. To make the crispy sage leaves, In a sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add sage leaves to the oil and cook for a few minutes on each side. Place on a paper towel to absorb any excess oil and set aside.

4. In the sauté pan with olive oil, add garlic and hot pepper flacks. Sautee until garlic becomes fragrant, about 10 – 15 seconds. Careful not to overcook as the garlic will burn and taste bitter.

5. Remove sauté pan off the heat and add butternut squash puree. Be careful as the sauce may splatter. Bring the sauté pan back to heat and continue cooking until the sauce becomes hot. If the sauce seems too thick, add pasta water to thin it out.

6. Once the sauce is hot, add the butter, and parmesan cheese and blend to well incorporate.

7. Add pasta to the butternut squash sauce and stir to coat all the pasta with the sauce.

8. Serve immediately and garnish with Burrata, Red Pepper Flakes, Fried Sage Leaves, and Shaved Parmesan.