Creamy Butternut Squash and Sausage Pasta (Dairy Free)
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.
Servings: 5
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.