Butternut Squash & Sausage Rigatoni

You probably don’t think to add butternut squash to your pasta often, but once you do you’ll realize just how yummy it is! Its sweet flavor paired with the Italian sausage is a great combination. Adding a lot of fresh basil gives it the finishing touch it needs to marry all these delicious flavors together.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. rigatoni

  • ½ onion, chopped

  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, smashed

  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil, plus more for drizzling

  • 2 ½ cups of cubed butternut squash

  • 5 links of italian sausage, removed from the casing

  • 1 cup pasta water

  • ½ freshly grated pecorino romano, plus more for garnish

  • 1 cup fresh basil, sliced

  • Salt

  • Pepper


Instructions

  1. Start boiling water to cook the pasta. In the meantime, heat a large pan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

  2. Add onions, stir and saute for a couple minutes until the onions become translucent and soft. Stir in garlic.

  3. Add the sausage removed from the casing and use a wooden spoon to break up the meat. Continue to brown the meat until you no longer see any pink then add the squash.

  4. Season with a sprinkle of salt and ground pepper. Drizzle a little olive oil over the squash then stir to combine. Lower heat and slightly cover with lid to help cook the squash.

  5. Make sure to save a cup of the pasta water before draining. Once the squash is soft, add the al dente pasta to the pan with the reserved pasta water. Continuously stir to combine, add the cheese and keep stirring as you begin to get a light, creamy sauce. You can drizzle a little more olive oil over the pasta if you feel it looks to dry. 

  6. Turn off the heat, add lots of basil in, continue tossing to combine everything together.

  7. Serve immediately with cheese to garnish. 

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PastaDanielle SimoneComment