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Main · Dinner · Pasta · Squash · Sausage

Butternut Squash and Sausage Pasta with Mint Basil Pesto

A take on the red sauce and pesto pasta, with roasted butternut squash in place of tomato and a mint basil pesto on top. The hard roast, white wine, Parmesan, and umami seasoning keep the squash savory, and the pesto goes on in a scoop rather than stirred in, so every bite has the squash and the bright herbs side by side.

Prep
25 min
Cook
1 hr 10 min
Total
1 hr 35 min
Serves
6
1×
Equipment
sheet pan · skillet · blender · large pot for the pasta · Dutch oven or wide pot
Oven
425°F
A dark bowl of curly pasta in orange butternut squash sauce with sausage, topped with green pesto, shaved Parmesan, crushed pistachios, and three fried sage leaves, sage and flowering basil on the plate beside it

Instructions

Make the squash sauce

  1. Roast. Heat the oven to 425°F. Toss the squash with the olive oil, salt, and pepper on a sheet pan and roast for 35–45 minutes, flipping once, until tender and browned at the edges. The browning is the flavor, so don’t pull it early. Make the Mint Basil Pesto while it roasts.
  2. Sage butter. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Drop the whole sage leaves in for 20–30 seconds until crisp, then lift them onto a paper towel; they’re the garnish. Add the shallot to the butter and cook for 3–4 minutes until soft, then add the garlic and chopped sage for 1 minute more.

Diced shallot and flecks of chopped sage in foaming butter, a wooden spoon at the edge

  1. Deglaze. Pour in the wine and simmer until it’s nearly gone, about 2 minutes.
  2. Blend. Put the roasted squash, the shallot mixture, stock, Parmesan, umami seasoning, nutmeg, and chili flakes in a blender and blend until completely smooth, 1–2 minutes. It should be thick, like a loose purée; pasta water thins it later.
  3. Taste. Season with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon. It should taste savory and a little sharp. If it reads sweet, add more salt, lemon, or Parmesan.

Finish the pasta

  1. Boil the pasta. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until just al dente. Save a couple of cups of the pasta water before draining.
  2. Brown the sausage. While the pasta cooks, brown the chopped sausage in a Dutch oven or wide pot over medium-high heat. Small pieces brown evenly and mix through the sauce.
  3. Add the sauce. Pour the blended sauce in with the sausage and stir in a few ladles of pasta water, until the sauce loosens up.
  4. Toss. Add the drained pasta and toss until every piece is coated.

Curly pasta tossed in the smooth orange squash sauce with small pieces of browned sausage, a wooden spoon at the edge of the pot

  1. Serve. Top each bowl with a scoop of pesto, crushed pistachios, Parmesan, and the fried sage, some whole and some crumbled over the top. For anyone who likes heat, a healthy shake of chili flakes.

Notes

  • A shape with ridges or curls holds the sauce best: radiatori, rigatoni, cavatappi, or orecchiette.
  • Don’t stir the pesto in. It goes dull and muddy against the squash; a scoop on top keeps the two flavors apart.
  • The sauce can be made a few days ahead and keeps in the fridge or freezer. It thickens as it sits, so loosen it, and any leftovers, with a splash of water or stock when you reheat.