- Sweet butternut squash browns quickly in olive oil, developing caramelized flavor and tender texture that pairs beautifully with spicy Italian sausage.
- The silky sauce is created effortlessly by stirring reserved pasta cooking water and freshly grated Pecorino Romano into the skillet with the pasta, resulting in a lightly cheesy coating that clings to every bow tie.
- With minimal ingredients and only 25 minutes of work time, this dish is terrific for delivering maximum fall flavor on busy weeknights.
When the temperatures dip in the fall, it’s time to make this easy butternut squash and sausage pasta. It features a handful of basic ingredients — most of which you likely already have at home — with sausage and squash taking center stage. The sauce that coats the pasta is remarkably simple, thanks to reserved pasta water and grated Pecorino Romano. On cool autumn nights when you don’t have the time or energy to labor over dinner, this recipe hits the spot.
Do you peel butternut squash before using it?
Although the skin on butternut squash is edible, it’s not always suitable to leave it on. For some recipes, you can roast halved butternut squash and scoop out the flesh from the skin, avoiding the need to peel the squash altogether. Since this recipe calls for small cubes of squash, we recommend peeling it so that every piece is uniform in color and texture.
Is it better to roast or steam butternut squash?
While roasting and steaming butternut squash are both efficient cooking methods, each serves a different purpose. Roasting butternut squash is great when you want a simple root vegetable side dish or to toss it with pasta or greens for a salad. Doing so will bring out its inherent sweetness, which is further enhanced by the caramelization that happens in the oven.
On the other hand, steaming butternut squash is ideal for making mashes and soups, since it’s easy to puree once tender. Don’t want to turn on the oven? Sautéing squash in a pan on the stovetop, as we’ve done here, is a quick and effective way to cook the vegetable and build flavor.
Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen
- Keep one cup of the pasta water to make the sauce for this pasta; its high starch content will help create a creamy sauce that coats each noodle. Combine the pasta, reserved cooking water, and grated Pecorino Romano and stir until the sauce is thick and creamy.
- You can save more pasta water in an airtight container in the refrigerator for reviving any leftovers.