Creamy Butternut Squash Italian Sausage Pasta with Spinach is a comfy and comforting weeknight meal to make on a chilly Fall or Winter night time. This recipe makes use of unsweetened coconut milk and is dairy-free. Made with spicy Italian sausage and seasoned with nutmeg, crimson pepper flakes, and contemporary thyme, this pasta dish is full of taste and would possibly change into your loved ones’s new favourite approach to eat butternut squash!
Butternut squash sausage pasta
This cozy Fall and Winter consolation meals combines creamy roasted butternut squash sauce along with spicy Italian sausage, spinach, bow-tie pasta, and unsweetened coconut milk. It is completely seasoned with nutmeg, numerous contemporary thyme, and crimson pepper flakes. You’ll be able to simply make it forward and assemble it when able to serve – see the recipe card for particulars on making it forward! Which makes it an ideal alternative each for busy weeknights or for particular events. You by no means know – it would change into certainly one of your household’s favourite dishes to make throughout the chilliest months of the 12 months! And, when you’re on the lookout for extra butternut squash dinner inspiration, do not miss this tasty feta, spinach, and bacon stuffed butternut squash or this straightforward butternut squash pasta salad with Brussels sprouts, pecans, and dried cranberries.
Principal substances
- Butternut squash is a winter squash with a phenomenal orange colour that has a candy and nutty taste. It is full of vitamins and supply of nutritional vitamins, minerals, and fiber. It is a superb supply of nutritional vitamins A, B6, C, and E, in addition to a number of minerals, together with magnesium, manganese, and potassium.
- I extremely advocate spicy Italian sausage. It is so flavorful, and the spiciness will get fairly mellow because it’s combined in with roasted butternut squash sauce. Spicy Italian sausage could be very savory, which you need on this recipe. Gentle or candy sausage would possibly add an excessive amount of sweetness and is just not flavorful sufficient.
- Bow Tie Pasta. This recipe makes use of an Italian pasta, referred to as Farfalle, or bow tie pasta. The bow-tie form of this pasta works very nicely with the creamy butternut squash sauce. Cook dinner bow-tie pasta al dente for the very best texture.
- Greens. I take advantage of contemporary spinach. You may as well use frozen spinach – thawed and drained of any liquid. Or, use kale as a substitute.
- Coconut milk. Use full-fat unsweetened coconut milk. It is an ideal dairy-free different to common cream. You will not even style the coconut taste as it will likely be disguised by the spicy Italian sausage and different seasonings
- Seasonings embody nutmeg, crimson pepper flakes, contemporary thyme, salt, and freshly floor black pepper. Lots of taste comes from the spicy Italian sausage, so I extremely advocate that you simply use it.
- Olive oil is used to prepare dinner sausage brush butternut squash halves earlier than roasting.
Variations, substitutions, and add-ins
- Use any winter squash. You can also make this recipe with pumpkin puree (canned) or roasted acorn squash. When utilizing acorn squash, needless to say they’re smaller in measurement and bake quicker within the oven (about half-hour within the preheated oven at 400 F).
- Veggies. You should utilize spinach, kale, arugula, or Swiss chard. Different choices are bell peppers or mushrooms.
- When you use milder sausage, I like to recommend upping the spices and including smoked paprika and gentle crimson chili powder to the combo.
- Cream. Though I used coconut milk to maintain this dairy-free, you can even use common heavy cream or half-and-half.
- Add cheese corresponding to Parmesan, Pepper Jack, shredded mozzarella, or Gruyere cheese.
Cooking ideas
- Time-saving tip. I like to recommend that you simply roast the butternut squash and puree it upfront. It’s going to save a whole lot of time in making ready this recipe.
- Cook dinner pasta al dente. That is when the pasta texture is at its greatest. It is particularly necessary if you wish to make this forward.
Methods to make it forward
Word that the entire recipe is on the backside of this submit, within the recipe card. Many of the steps of this recipe could be achieved a day or 2 upfront. If you wish to prep a few of the steps previous to while you’re able to serve, I might do these steps upfront:
- Roast butternut squash within the oven after which mash it right into a puree upfront.
- Slice and prepare dinner sausage upfront.
- You’ll be able to even prepare dinner the pasta upfront. On this case, be sure to prepare dinner it al dente in order that it retains its texture.
- Then, if you find yourself able to serve, all it’s a must to do is proceed to the recipe part “Meeting” (within the recipe card on the backside of this submit) and go from there!
Storage Ideas
As a result of the sauce for butternut squash sausage pasta is made with none cheese, this recipe is straightforward to retailer and reheat.
- Fridge. Retailer the leftovers in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 4 days.
- Reheat within the microwave oven. Reheat the refrigerated leftovers in a microwave oven for about 1 minute. Style and reheat for 30 seconds extra, if wanted.
- Reheat on the stovetop. You may as well reheat this in a big, high-sided skillet on the stovetop on low-medium warmth. When utilizing this methodology, add a small quantity of heavy cream, half-and-half, or milk to skinny out the sauce when reheating.
Methods to make it meatless
- Use plant-based Italian sausage, corresponding to Past sausage model.
- Use chopped portobellos as a substitute of sausage. Cook dinner chopped portobellos (generously seasoned with crimson paprika, crimson pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper) with olive oil and plenty of minced garlic. The wealthy meaty taste of portobello mushrooms works nice to interchange sausage!
What sort of pasta to make use of
- Use a short-cut pasta, corresponding to bow-tie, penne, rigatoni, orzo, gnocchi, or fusilli. Brief-cut pasta works higher with the creamy butternut squash sauce.
- Use stuffed pasta, corresponding to store-bought ravioli or tortellini.
Methods to make it gluten-free
- Use gluten-free pasta. All different substances on this recipe are naturally gluten-free.
Different butternut squash pasta recipes you would possibly like
- Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta with Sausage and Spinach
- Butternut Squash and Black Bean Orzo with Sausage and Spinach
- Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta Shells Filled with Sausage, Spinach, and Tomatoes
- Creamy Butternut Squash and Sausage Soup with Orzo and Spinach
- Creamy Butternut Squash Orzo with Sausage
Creamy Butternut Squash Italian Sausage Pasta
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Substances
- 12 oz pasta bow-tie or farfalle
- 16 oz Italian sausage crumbled or casings eliminated
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup butternut squash puree
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon crimson pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons contemporary thyme solely leaves, no sprigs
- 6 oz contemporary spinach
Directions
Make butternut squash puree
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I like to recommend doing this step upfront. Right here is the way you make butternut squash puree.
Cook dinner pasta
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Deliver a big pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and prepare dinner it in salted water based on the bundle directions, normally about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain. Proceed with the remainder of the recipe whereas the water is boiling.
Cook dinner sausage
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Crumble the sausage into massive items or take away the sausage from the casings and slice it.
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Warmth 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium warmth in a big, high-sided skillet.
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Add sliced sausage and prepare dinner on medium warmth for about 4 minutes on one facet, with out turning, to get the sausage slices browned. Flip over to the opposite facet and prepare dinner for two extra minutes.
Meeting
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To the skillet with sausage, add 1 cup of butternut squash puree, 1 cup of unsweetened coconut milk, minced garlic, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon crimson pepper flakes, and 1 tablespoon of contemporary thyme (simply leaves, no sprigs). Stir and produce to a boil and cut back to a simmer.
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Add spinach step by step till it wilts, on low-medium warmth, and stir every part nicely. Cook dinner for about 3 or extra minutes. Ensure the garlic is cooked to your liking.
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Season with salt and freshly floor black pepper. Add extra seasonings to style (nutmeg, crimson pepper flakes, and contemporary thyme).
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Add cooked and drained pasta and stir it in. High with the remaining 1 tablespoon contemporary thyme and crimson pepper flakes.
Notes
Make butternut squash puree upfront
- The full cooking time doesn’t embody the time required for roasting the butternut squash and making the butternut squash puree. I like to recommend that you simply try this upfront.
- As a result of you can be roasting complete butternut squash, you’ll have greater than you want (1 cup) for this recipe. Refrigerate or freeze the leftover butternut squash puree in an hermetic container.
You should utilize both contemporary or dried thyme
- Use 2 tablespoons of thyme leaves (no sprigs) if utilizing contemporary thyme. Half for the sauce, half for sprinkling on high as garnish.
- If utilizing dried thyme, use ½ teaspoon of dried leaves (not powdered) or ¼ teaspoon of powdered dried thyme.
Methods to make it forward
- If you wish to make it forward, I might counsel prepping the next steps a day or 2 upfront: Prep all of the steps above the “Meeting” part upfront. This contains making the butternut squash puree, cooking pasta (al dente on this case!), and cooking sausage.
- Then, if you find yourself able to serve, you may full the recipe following the “Meeting” part of the recipe directions – which ought to take beneath 10 minutes!
Vitamin
