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Acorn squash pasta with sausage in a bowl.
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Roasted Acorn Squash and Sausage Pasta

Pasta noodles tossed in a a roasted acorn squash sauce with sausage and Parmesan cheese.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: acorn squash pasta
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 998kcal
Author: Erin
Cost: $5

Equipment

  • 1 Skillet
  • 1 pot
  • 1 baking sheet

Ingredients

  • 1 lb fettuccine pasta or other wide ribbon or tube pasta (cooked according to directions, reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water)
  • 4 tablespoon butter
  • 1 medium acorn squash cut in half
  • 2-3 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 lb ground sausage Italian or country or sage
  • 1 tablespoon garlic minced
  • 1 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese plus more for serving
  • 2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Cook pasta according to directions and reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water right before straining.
  • Return drained pasta to the pot, and toss with the butter.
  • Cut acorn squash into half and scoop out inside seeds and pulp.
  • Lay squash halves face up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Roast the acorn squash halves at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until fork tender.
  • Fry ground sausage until browned, add garlic and scoop out cooked acorn squash pulp, and sauté until sausage is crispy and the squash is broken up.
  • Turn the heat off and add the pasta and 1 cup of pasta water to the skillet, toss to coat.
  • Sprinkle in Parmesan cheese, and red pepper flake and toss to coat again.
  • Remove from heat and serve with extra Parmesan cheese.

Notes

  • Use a wide ribbon pasta like pappardelle or tagliatelle 
  • Reserve a cup of starchy cooking water right before draining it so that it has the most starch.
  • Choose acorn squash that is dark green yet dull, not shiny. Small yellow dots are fine. A few small areas of orange are alright, but avoid acorn squashes that have a lot of orange on them as they will be overly mature, dry and stringy, and have tough skins. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 998kcal | Carbohydrates: 95g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 49g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 22g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 196mg | Sodium: 1181mg | Potassium: 1003mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1067IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 406mg | Iron: 5mg