
Looking for a cozy fall dinner that’s not a soup or basic chicken dinner? Enter: Brown butter butternut squash pasta. It’s warming and filling without being overly heavy, and completely customizable. Plus, this 1 hour meal is simple to whip up, making it the perfect weeknight dinner when you’re craving a cozy night in, or want to impress dinner guests. Butternut squash fans—this just might be your new go-to pasta dinner.
Tip: Break the sausage up into very small pieces and give it time to crisp up. It will make for the perfect bite. If you want to make it vegetarian you can totally skip the sausage, or replace it with your favorite protein.
Have you tried this yet? Let us know how it went in the comments below!
Ingredients
- 1
large butternut squash, peeled, halved and seeds removed
- 1/2
medium red onion
- 3 Tbsp.
extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lb.
bucatini
- 1 lb.
sausage, casings removed
- 1/2 cup
(1 stick) butter
- 2
cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp.
freshly chopped sage
- 2 tsp.
freshly chopped thyme
- 1/4 cup
shaved Parmesan
Directions
- Step 1Preheat oven to 425°. Cut squash into 1/2 “ cubes. In a large bowl toss squash, red onion, and 2 tablespoons oil together. Divide between two large baking sheets and season with salt and pepper. Roast until fork tender and golden, 30 minutes, tossing halfway through.
- Step 2In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water, then drain.
- Step 3In a large skillet over medium heat, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add sausage and cook, breaking meat up finely with a wooden spoon, until golden and crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove from skillet and place on a plate to keep warm.
- Step 4Return skillet to heat and add butter. Cook butter until foamy, then reduce heat to medium-low and continue to stir until butter starts to smell nutty and turns a deep golden, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, sage, and thyme and cook until fragrant, 1 minute, then remove pan from heat.
- Step 5Add bucatini, sausage, squash, and ¼ cup reserved pasta water to skillet and toss to combine. Add more pasta water to help sauce come together as necessary.
- Step 6Top with shaved Parmesan before serving.