This Sausage & Butternut Squash Pasta with Goat Cheese is a favorite fall recipe! This comforting meal is creamy, cheesy, a little bit spicy, and easily devoured by the spoonful!
This post was originally published in November 2016. It was updated in 2022 to add new content. The original recipe remains the same. Enjoy!
Who wants to join me in a big pasta and PJ’s party?
We’re talking comfort food, on the couch, with a good Rom Com. The perfect solution for cold nights. Last week, the movie It’s Complicated popped up on the TV. It’s been a long time and I forgot how much I loved that movie the first time around! It serves up a bit of romance, with twists and turns, and of course, the underdog that you’re hoping wins the girl at the end…
When you’ve got a great movie on the TV – Your food needs to be just as “dig in” worthy. This great recipe is just that.
It’s got al the fall flavors you crave. A creamy sauce, fresh herbs, winter squash. And the best part is this easy dinner will be on your table in 30 minutes!
It’s creamy, cheesy, a little bit spicy, and easily devoured by the spoonful. It’s a dish that’s low key and simple to make, but totally “share-worthy” too. This dish can certainly impress some dinner guests!
🛒 Ingredients Needed
- Pasta – I used mini penne, but any favorite pasta will work. Oreccheitte, rigatoni, and bowties are other great options.
- Sausage – I used some mild bulk Italian sausage, but hot sausage or turkey sausage will work too! It’s my favorite ingredient in so many recipes.
- Butternut Squash – Peeled, seeded and cut into cubes. You can also often purchase pre-cubed squash in the produce department.
- Olive Oil
- Fresh Sage + Parsley
- Allspice, Nutmeg, Red Pepper Flakes
- Onion + Garlic
- Dry White Wine – Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, etc. Dry vermouth will also work. This can be left out too.
- Parmesan + Goat Cheese
📋 How to Make It
- Start by browning up some Italian sausage in a large skillet.
- Then, add some flavor with sage leaves, nutmeg, allspice and red pepper flakes.
- Let it cook away and coat that skillet with all those amazing flavors.
- To that, we’ll add in the butternut squash, a pinch of salt and a bit of onion and garlic for good measure along with my favorite part – a splash of wine.
- Then, let it all simmer away on medium-low heat while your pasta cooks up.
I’m using mini penne pasta in this recipe. I like the little penne, because you can grab a bit of pasta, a bit of squash and some of that yummy sausage all in one forkful. But feel free to use your favorite pasta here!
Tip: When that pasta is done cooking, be sure to reserve that starchy cooking liquid. The reserved pasta water is like liquid gold for thickening up pasta sauces and giving them extra flavor. We’ll add a cup of it to our sausage mixture, along with the cooked pasta and some fresh grated parmesan cheese. Let it all simmer together for a couple minutes and you’ll end up with the most dreamy, creamy butternut squash sauce
To top it all off, I’m adding some fresh parsley bring a bit of freshness to the dish, along with some fresh crumbled goat cheese.
Why?
- Because I’m a sucker for goat cheese.
- Because the tanginess of the cheese just goes so perfectly with the hint of sweetness in this pasta dish. Yum!
The last thing we can’t forget before we hop onto the couch with our bowl of pasta in hand and our movie cued up is that glass of wine.
I’m going with a glass of lightly oaked Chardonnay. With hints of spice and butter, it’s a good a match for this pasta as Steve Martin’s character is to Meryl Streep in It’s Complicated.
Are you an occasional couch eater like me? Sometimes it’s the best cure for a case of the rainy day blues…
Especially when it involves this Sausage & Butternut Squash Penne Pasta.
🌟 Variations
- Swap out the butternut squash for sweet potatoes or pumpkin.
- Use whole wheat pasta in place of the regular variety.
- Don’t like goat cheese? You could also use cream cheese or cheddar cheese.
- Some browned up bacon would make a great addition!
- Make it alcohol free by omitting the white wine and adding additional chicken stock.
🍽 What to Serve with It
- Kale Caesar Salad
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Cherry Tomato Salad with Roasted Lemons
- Arugula Salad
- Easy Sauteed Spinach
- MORE —> the BEST sides for pasta.
🍷 Wine Pairings
- Chardonnay – Look for a lightly oaked wine with some buttery notes.
- MORE —> wine pairings for pasta.
Did you try this sausage & butternut squash pasta recipe?
If you loved this squash pasta recipe I would appreciate it so much if you would give this recipe a star review! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.
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Sausage & Butternut Squash Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 ounces mini penne pasta
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound mild bulk Italian sausage
- 3 Tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 pound butternut squash (peeled, seeded and cut into ½-inch cubes)
- 1 large onion (minced)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
Instructions
- In a large, deep skillet, heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil, over medium-high. Add sausage and cook, breaking into large pieces with the back of a spoon. Add in sage, allspice, nutmeg and red pepper flakes. Cook until browned, about 6 minutes.
- Add squash, onion, and garlic.. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 2-3 minutes. Add the white wine and cover. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender, 18-20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of cooking water. Add pasta to the skillet with the squash and sausage, along with the reserved cooking liquid and parmesan cheese. Cook over medium-low heat until the sauce is thick and creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and crumbled goat cheese and serve immediately.
Nutrition
More Butternut Squash Recipes
- Curried Butternut Squash Soup
- Butternut Squash Risotto
- Roasted Squash Salad with Maple Tahini Dressing
- Butternut Squash Curry
- Butternut Squash Bisque with Maple Cream
I made your Thai Crock Pot Soup last week and it was a winner…this one’s next! Thank you!
Yum, this looks delicious! And I think your wine pairing is spot on!
This sounds so good! Pinned and ready to try. Thank you for the great recipe.
Love the combo of the sweet squash with the savory sausage – a perfect pre- or post-thanksgiving meal!
Yum! I’m loving the use of sausage and squash here and a bit of creaminess from the cheeses
A pasta & PJ party sounds perfect! I love this recipe and wine pairing.
I love everything about this pasta dish! I can’t have goat cheese, but sometimes I just go for it and pay for it later, and this dish definitely looks worth it! 🙂 YUM!
Tried this tonight! Sausage paired with sage and squash is one of my favorites. I was a bit concerned it wouldn’t be saucy enough, but it was deliciously perfect. I’ll definitely be making this again soon. Thank you 🙂
I’m so glad to hear that you loved this recipe Beckie!
This was very delicious! I don’t like goat cheese so I substituted it for extra parmesan and gruyere and it came out great. Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome Amanda!
Could I use Chorizo or ground chicken in place of the sausage?
Yes – That sounds delicious Malissa!
Taststed great until I added the Goat Cheese. Sour tasting! I feel this may be better with Mozzarella, Gouda or even Jack Cheese.
I am sorry i put the goat cheese in.
Nobody likes it 😔
Loved it so much! Maybe the other commenter had some bad goat cheese because for us, it made the dish. We also added some cinnamon along with the nutmeg and allspice. Sounds crazy, but was so so good!
This recipe is amazing. I had to make a few tweaks – first, I was apparently out of allspice, so I substituted a bit of pumpkin pie spice. Second, I was also serving this to my 10-month-old so I didn’t want to use wine, so I splashed in a bit of non-alcoholic sparkling apple cider, which was also delicious! But the offspring gobbled it up and squawked impatiently for seconds and even thirds – and to be honest, so did I. Like one of the other commenters, I was concerned for a second that it wouldn’t be saucy, but it really did make a nice creamy sauce just like Erin promised! This was my first recipe from Platings and Pairings, but I’ll be back for more!
Awww – Thanks so much Lauren! I really appreciate it. And thank you for providing your substitutions! Love the idea to use sparkling cider!
I LOVE goat cheese and can’t eat cows milk cheese so I can’t wait to try this. My husband unfortunately hates goat cheese. I know some people mentioned some cheeses they substituted with but what would you recommend? Ideally I think something soft and creamy like the goats cheese would work well…but not sure what?
Hi Helen! You could swap in cream cheese for the goat cheese. Or, you could try some cheddar or gruyere. Hope that helps! I’d love to hear how it turns out!
This is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE recipes! It’s amazing
Thanks so much Chelsea! I’m so happy you liked it!
Could I roast the squash first?
Hi Lisa – Definitely! That will add great flavor!
One of my absolute favorite recipes! I make it way too much… it’s just so yummy
I’m so glad you enjoy it Chelsea!
I made this just last night.
Best new-to-me recipe I’ve made in awhile. I had the goat cheese and some ButtNutt squash I had roasted up and frozen for recipes just such as these. So it came together quickly. Didn’t have the penne so I subbed strozzapreti . I only made half the recipe since there are just two of us here now. Fresh sage & parsley from our garden.
It will be a regular from now on!
Thanks !
Thank you Luisa! I’m so glad you liked it!