Creamy butternut squash and sausage pasta is an easy, cozy dinner perfect for crisp autumn nights. This recipe pairs a rich, buttery, and lightly-sweet sage butternut squash sauce with crumbled chicken sausage and tender linguine. It’s comforting, hearty, and oh-so-fall-worthy.
Ingredients
- Butternut squash – oven roasted and food processed into a thick and creamy puree for the base of the butternut squash pasta sauce.
- Pasta – we prefer longer pastas like linguine, fettuccine, bucatini, or spaghetti, but any pasta will do!
- Italian chicken or turkey sausage – healthier lower-fat alternative to pork sausage that is super flavorful. We like to use uncooked links and crumble it in the pan. You can also use precooked links and slice and brown them instead.
- Extra virgin olive oil – brushed on the squash for roasting. Also used to brown the sausage and saute the onions, garlic, and sage.
- Yellow onion and garlic – adds some sharpness to the sauce.
- Low sodium chicken broth – to thin and flavor the butternut squash puree and butternut squash sauce.
- Full fat coconut milk – full fat unsweetened coconut milk gives this sauce its delicious creamy texture and rich flavor. Our preferred brand is Thai Kitchen or Sprouts canned coconut milk (we do NOT recommend Taste of Thai).
- Reserved pasta water – gives some starchiness to the sauce to help it thicken.
- Fresh sage leaves – packs a ton of sweet, herby flavor into the butternut squash sauce. Fresh is the most delicious, but you can sub dried sage if you can’t get fresh sage.
- Seasonings – dried thyme, dried sage, sea salt, and black pepper are simple but flavorful seasonings that amplify the sweet taste of the butternut squash puree.
- Optional garnish – chopped fresh parsley and Parmesan/dairy free cheese are our favorite toppings for this dish.
Tips for Making Creamy Butternut Squash and Sausage Pasta
- Use reserved pasta water to thin your cooked pasta sauce if it is too thick. Just add reserved water one tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency. This will thin the sauce without diluting the flavors since pasta water is starchy and flavorful.
- Use fresh sage for optimum flavor. Fresh sage packs in so much more sweet, herbiness that dried sage cannot replicate. We save fresh sage for the sauce and use dried sage for roasting the butternut squash.
- Wipe out the pan after cooking the sausage. Doing so will remove any greasy residue leftover from cooking the sausage, which can make your sauce feel heavy and greasy. We also pat dry cooked sausage with a paper towel to remove any grease coating the meat too.
- Keep the sauce separate from the cooked pasta (instead of combining into one bowl) if you are picky about soggy noodles. We personally always serve our pasta and sauce separate to avoid the noodles from absorbing the liquid and becoming bloated and mushy and to preserve the sauce for leftovers.
- When reheating the sauce, add a few tablespoons of chicken broth or extra coconut milk to the sauce to thin it, as it will thicken in the refrigerator when stored. We also prefer reheating our pasta and sauce together in a skillet over medium heat rather than using the microwave for fresher results.
How to Make Creamy Butternut Squash and Sausage Pasta
Butternut Squash Puree
Preheat the oven to 400℉.
Prepare the butternut squash: peel the squash. Cut off a thin sliver off of the top and bottom of the squash. Cut the squash in half along the length. Use a sharp spoon or ice cream scoop to remove the seeds and pulp. Slice the squash into 1-inch strips, then cut the strips into 1-inch cubes.
In a medium bowl, toss the squash cubes with the olive oil until coated. Season with thyme, sage, salt, and pepper and toss well to coat.
Spread the squash out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until fork-tender. Remove from heat and carefully transfer to a food processor.
Blend the squash with ½ cup of broth until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add a few more tablespoons of broth at a time and blend until smooth. The puree should be thick, but smooth.
Butternut Squash Pasta
Bring a large sauce pot of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta. Cook until al dente, 7-8 minutes. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water. Drain and return the pasta to the pot.
While the pasta water boils, warm ½ tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, remove the chicken sausage form the casings and add to the pan. Use a spoon to break apart the sausage into bite-size chunks. Cook until browned and cooked through, about 5-6 minutes. Drain any grease from the pan. Transfer the cooked sausage to a paper towel lined bowl to drain any residual grease and cover with foil to keep warm. *If you are using precooked sausage links, slice the links into bite-size pieces and brown in the pan for 5-6 minutes, tossing regularly to evenly brown on both sides. Transfer to a bowl and tent with foil.
Carefully wipe the pan out with paper towel. Warm the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes, or until translucent. Add the fresh sage and cook 1 minute.
Add the butternut squash puree, broth, coconut milk, and ¼ cup of reserved pasta water to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Gently simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. The sauce should thicken as liquid is evaporated. If the sauce is too dry or thick, thin with the remaining ¼ cup of pasta water.
Divide the noodles among plates. Ladle the sauce and sausage over the cooked pasta and top with fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese, if desired. *You can also combine everything in one pot and toss to coat, if desired.
How to Store
Store leftover butternut squash pasta in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
To reheat, lightly mist a frying pan with cooking spray and warm over medium heat. Add the pasta, the desired amount of sauce, and a few tablespoons of chicken broth or coconut milk (to thin the thickened sauce) to the pan. Toss to coat. Cover and warm for 5-7 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent the sauce from burning. Add more broth/milk, as needed, to thin the sauce. You can also reheat in the microwave on high for 1-2 minutes.
Recipe Modifications
- Protein – we love this recipe with chicken or turkey sausage, but sub pork sausage or try different flavors like Italian, hot Italian, sundried tomato, feta spinach, or even apple chicken sausage. Try other proteins too, like prosciutto, pancetta, bacon, chicken breast or thighs, pork chops, or steak.
- Veggies – load this dish up with good-for-you veggies like roasted broccoli or asparagus, sauteed mushrooms, spinach, or kale, or even more roasted butternut squash chunks.
- Cheese/milk/cream – we keep this recipe largely dairy-free and lighter by using coconut milk for the creamy texture and just adding a sprinkle of optional Parmesan for garnish, but this sauce lends itself well to added cream, milk, or cheese for an even richer sauce. Try mixing in a few ounces of goat cheese (we love plain or honey flavored), Gorgonzola cheese, blue cheese, ricotta cheese, or cream cheese. Or add a splash of cream, half-and-half, or whole or 2% milk for a little different flavor profile.
- Seasonings – this recipe uses sage, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper to compliment the butternut squash flavor, but try some sweeter seasonings like cinnamon, nutmeg, or rosemary. Spice things up with red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper. Load on the savory flavors with Italian seasoning, fennel seed, oregano, or basil.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. For this recipe we prefer to peel and cube the squash before roasting. However, you can also cut the squash in half, remove the seeds, brush with oil and seasonings, and roast. Then scoop the cooked flesh out of the skin before pureeing.
Most proteins pair well with butternut squash, like chicken, turkey, or pork sausage, chicken breast or thighs, pancetta, bacon, prosciutto, pork chops, or steak.
Butternut squash is a sweet, buttery squash that pairs well with sweeter seasonings, like cinnamon, nutmeg, sage, thyme, or rosemary, as well as with more savory seasonings like salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
Ripe butternut squash has a darker, richer orange color and matte finish. Avoid squashes lighter in color, with green spots, or with a glossy exterior.
Check out our other delicious pasta recipes
- Sundried tomato pasta
- Creamy avocado pasta
- Creamy Cajun pasta
- Avocado pesto pasta
- Roasted red pepper pasta
- Brown butter pumpkin alfredo
Let us know what you think about our recipe for creamy butternut squash and sausage pasta by dropping a comment, star rating, and/or sharing on Pinterest/social media! We really appreciate your help in sharing and rating our recipes, as it allows us to continue to bring delicious and healthy recipes to our community!
Creamy Butternut Squash and Sausage Pasta (Dairy Free)
Equipment
- 1 Food processor
Ingredients
Butternut Squash Puree
- 1 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, cubed
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried sage
- ½ tsp coarse sea salt
- ¼ tsp cracked black pepper
- ½-⅔ c low-sodium chicken broth (or sub vegetable broth)
Butternut Squash Pasta
- 1 lb linguine, fettuccine, bucatini, or spaghetti
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 lb Italian chicken or turkey sausage, casings removed (or sub pork sausage)
- ¼ yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ c fresh sage leaves, stems removed, thinly sliced
- 1 batch butternut squash puree (about 1¼ cups)
- 1 c low sodium chicken broth (or sub vegetable broth)
- 1 c unsweetened full fat coconut milk (from a can)
- ½ c reserved pasta water
- ½ tsp coarse sea salt, more to taste
- ½ tsp cracked black pepper, more to taste
- chopped fresh parsley and Parmesan/dairy-free cheese (optional garnish)
Instructions
Butternut Squash Puree
- Preheat the oven to 400℉.
- Prepare the butternut squash: peel the squash. Cut off a thin sliver off of the top and bottom of the squash. Cut the squash in half along the length. Use a sharp spoon or ice cream scoop to remove the seeds and pulp. Slice the squash into 1-inch strips, then cut the strips into 1-inch cubes.
- In a medium bowl, toss the squash cubes with the olive oil until coated. Season with thyme, sage, salt, and pepper and toss well to coat.
- Spread the squash out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until fork-tender. Remove from heat and carefully transfer to a food processor.
- Blend the squash with ½ cup of broth until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add a few more tablespoons of broth at a time and blend until smooth. The puree should be thick, but smooth.
Butternut Squash Pasta
- Bring a large sauce pot of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta. Cook until al dente, 7-8 minutes. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water. Drain and return the pasta to the pot.
- While the pasta water boils, warm ½ tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, remove the chicken sausage form the casings and add to the pan. Use a spoon to break apart the sausage into bite-size chunks. Cook until browned and cooked through, about 5-6 minutes. Drain any grease from the pan. Transfer the cooked sausage to a paper towel lined bowl to drain any residual grease and cover with foil to keep warm. *If you are using precooked sausage links, slice the links into bite-size pieces and brown in the pan for 5-6 minutes, tossing regularly to evenly brown on both sides. Transfer to a bowl and tent with foil.
- Carefully wipe the pan out with paper towel. Warm the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes, or until translucent. Add the fresh sage and cook 1 minute.
- Add the butternut squash puree, broth, coconut milk, and ¼ cup of reserved pasta water to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Gently simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. The sauce should thicken as liquid is evaporated. If the sauce is too dry or thick, thin with the remaining ¼ cup of pasta water.
- Divide the noodles among plates. Ladle the sauce and sausage over the cooked pasta and top with fresh parsley and Parmesan/dairy-free cheese, if desired. *You can also combine everything in one pot and toss to coat, if desired.
Leave a Reply