This guilt free creamy pasta dish is all about fall flavor. The squash has natural sweetness that is so perfect with the sausage and shallots that caramelize during the roasting process. I serve mine with some grilled chicken and flash fry a bit of sage at the end as a garnish that will warm up the table on a cool fall evening.

Autumn in a bowl

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb favorite short curly pasta
  • 20 ounces peeled and seeded butternut squash, 1/2 inch chunks
  • 1 lb sweet Italian sausage
  • 12 whole shallots, peeled and halved
  • 1-2 cup chicken stock (homemade or store bought)
  • Olive oil for roasting, plus tablespoon for browning sausage
  • Kosher salt and pepper
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons bells poultry seasoning
  • 1 bunch fresh sage, chopped plus a few reserved for garnish (optional)
  • Grated parm for serving, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Toss the squash with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil until nicely coated. Roast in oven for 30 minutes until tender and just starting to turn golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Reduce oven temp to 350. On a separate sheet, toss shallots with salt, pepper, garlic powder and a generous amount of olive oil to coat. Roast in oven for about 35-40 minutes, tossing once or twice until shallots are tender and turning golden on the edges. Remove from oven and set aside. While shallots are roasting, place the butternut squash in a food processor and process until smooth, adding chicken stock to create a nice silky sauce. Add chopped sage into sauce . Adjust seasonings to taste. In a medium skillet, brown sausage in pan with tablespoon of oil until cooked through. Prepare pasta according to package directions to al dente reserving about a cup of cooking liquid. Drain pasta and stir in sauce, shallots, and sausage using reserved cooking liquid to thin sauce as needed. Garnish with sage and grated Parmesan as desired and enjoy!