This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
One of the most challenging struggles about our new house is figuring out the lighting for my photography. We have lots of natural light coming into the house and a big room with 10 skylights and a wall of windows and yet I STILL find myself struggling to get the lighting right. GAH. I think I’m used to shooting with the sun on the opposite side of the house and it’s really throwing me off.
In other news: I’ve been cooking and baking away in my new kitchen and I’ve made lots of yummy things over the past few weeks. Stephen and I ate out SO so much in the weeks leading up to the move that we’re now determined to eat as many meals at home as possible. To help with this I’ve been making trips to the Nashville farmer’s market, since it’s within walking distance of my work. I really should go in with some kind of list but since I never do, I end up just buying whatever catches my eye and then deal with what to do with it all later.
This butternut squash sat on the counter-top for well over a week before I decided to make it into this deliciousness:
This dish was throw together purely from ingredients I happened to have lying around the house with the exception of the sausage. I made a special trip for that. It was totally worth it!
It’s all pretty easy really and I love things that feel fancy but only require one skillet to cook.
The sausage is cooked first and then set aside. Then the pasta is cooked in lots of chicken broth and a little cream and eventually the squash is added into the mix.
Finally the spinach and thyme are added, the sausage is stirred back in, and it’s all topped off with a healthy handful of cheese.
Once the cheese is nice and melty then you’re done!
This makes quite a bit of pasta! I think it was enough for Stephen and I to both have a pretty big dinner, each have leftovers for lunch the next day, and then there was still just enough left for one more lunch portion for me :)
This could be made with any kind of meat, any kind of greens, and pretty much any kind of melty cheese. Have fun with it!
One Skillet Butternut Squash & Sausage Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound of sausage, either ground or links cut into small pieces
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- pinch of salt
- ~1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
- 4 cups of chicken broth**
- ½ cup of white wine or other cooking wine**
- ½ cup of cream, I used half and half bc it's what I had in the house**
- 12 ounces of pasta, I used penne
- ½ of a butternut squash, ~3 1/2 cups diced, diced into cubes
- 2 large handfuls of spinach, roughly chopped
- 1-2 teaspoons depending on preference of fresh thyme, de-stemmed
- 6 ounces of cheese, I used mozzarella, cubed
- **If you would prefer, you can omit the cream and/ or white wine and substitute it with an equal amount of more broth
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, combine the garlic, S&P, and sausage. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sausage is fully cooked. Once done, pour everything in the pan into a seperate bowl and return skillet to the stove.
- Combine the broth, white wine, and cream in the skillet and then add in the pasta. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer for about 6 minutes. Add in the squash and continue to simmer for an additional 8-10 minutes until both the pasta and the squash are just barely tender.
- Stir in the thyme and spinach and cook for an additional couple minutes.
- Add the sausage back in and stir in the cheese. Continue to stir until the cheese is mostly melted all the way through.
- Take the skillet off of the heat, cover, and then let sit for about 5 minutes.
- Stir, serve, and ENJOY!!
I just came here to look this up again. Like you, we made this with what was on hand. We happened to have brie, but no other cheese at the time. Whoa did that make this REALLY good! I’m sure it’s good the original way, but I’m about to make it again, so I went out and bought some brie. I hate spending that much, but it’s so worth it in this recipe!
What type of Sausage did you use?
I used sweet italian sausage links cut up into small chunks. I really think that any sausage would be good with this though!
Oh yum! This looks easy and delicious. It would be a great recipe for this fall too…
My mouth is watering!