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Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta With Sausage And Spinach

Creamy butternut squash pasta with sausage and spinach is made by simmering squash puree with heavy cream until smooth, then tossing it with rigatoni using reserved pasta water. You’ll get a glossy, sauce-coating texture with tender spinach and savory Italian sausage in every bite.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 730
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Rigatoni or penne
  • 1 lb rigatoni or penne
Italian sausage
  • 1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
Baby spinach
  • 4 cup baby spinach
Onion
  • 1 onion, diced
Garlic
  • 4 garlic, minced
Butternut squash puree
  • 2 cup butternut squash puree
Heavy cream
  • 1 cup heavy cream
Pasta cooking water
  • 0.5 cup pasta cooking water
Parmesan
  • 1 cup parmesan, grated
Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
Nutmeg
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg
Red pepper flakes
  • 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
  • 1 Salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Cook the pasta
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the rigatoni or penne until al dente, then reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water before draining. Drain the pasta and set aside.
Brown the sausage
  1. Brown the Italian sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, then drain the fat and set the sausage aside. Keep the skillet for the next step.
Build the squash-cream sauce
  1. Sauté the diced onion in the same skillet over medium heat for 4 minutes until softened. Add the minced garlic and Italian seasoning, then cook for 2 more minutes, stirring to prevent burning.
  2. Add butternut squash puree and heavy cream, then stir in nutmeg and red pepper flakes until fully combined. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
  3. Lower the heat and add the grated parmesan, stirring until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Reduce as needed so it coats the pasta.
Toss and finish
  1. Add the drained cooked pasta and reserved pasta cooking water to the skillet, then toss to coat and loosen the sauce. Add the baby spinach and toss until wilted.
  2. Return the browned sausage to the pan and season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss one last time so sausage and spinach are evenly distributed.

Notes

For the silkiest texture, simmer the squash-cream base briefly before adding parmesan so it melts smoothly. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; reheat gently with a splash of pasta water or milk to loosen the sauce. Freezing is not ideal because cream sauces can separate when thawed and reheated. For a dairy-light swap, use half-and-half instead of heavy cream and use reduced-fat parmesan.