Pasta With Sausage, Squash and Sage Brown Butter
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 1pound cupped or tubed pasta, like orecchiette or penne
- 1pound hot Italian sausage links
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pasta
- ¾pound peeled butternut squash, cut into ½-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
- Salt and pepper
- 6tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8sage leaves
- ½cup grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
1082 calories; 58 grams fat; 25 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 24 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 101 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 39 grams protein; 871 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, cook the sausage: In a sauté pan or skillet large enough to hold all the pasta, add the sausage and enough cold water to cover. Set over medium-high heat, then remove from the heat when the water hits a boil, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Step 2
Transfer the sausage to a cutting board and cut into ½-inch coins. Dry out the pan and return it to the stove.
- Step 3
In the same pan, heat the olive oil over high until nearly smoking. Add the sausage and cook, flipping once, until dark brown on both sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate, then reduce the heat to medium. Add the squash and a pinch of salt to the pan. Let cook, stirring briefly and scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, until browned, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Step 4
While the squash is browning, add pasta to boiling water, and cook to al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, and drain the pasta.
- Step 5
When the squash is nicely browned, add the butter and sage and cook until the butter is golden, nutty smelling and foaming, just a minute or two, then immediately remove the pan from the heat and add back the sausage.
- Step 6
Add the pasta to the pan and mix with the brown-butter sauce (if the pasta has cooled off quite a bit, return the pan to low heat while you combine everything). Stir in the cheese, then add pasta water as needed to smooth the sauce. Adjust with salt and pepper, and serve with extra Parmesan, if you like.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Bri
Try roasting the squash w “naked chef squash spice”; 2tbsp @ coriander seed, dried oregano 1tbsp fennel seed. Add a teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ to ½ rsp freshly ground pepper and a couple of dried chilis—blend to make a coarse powder. Cut your squash into cubes (feel free to leave the peel on), douse w olive oil, toss in a few cloves of garlic and fresh rosemary and roast in a hot oven while you cook the sausage. Feel free to add pecans for the last 5 min of roasting w maybe a splash of maple
Brad
This was delicious! I added minced shallots to the brown butter as they go together so well. I I roasted the squash and and roasted some chanterelle mushrooms and then combined the roasted vegetables, spicy sausage and orecchiette mixing in the brown butter, parm reg and a bit of pasta water. Huge hit!
Hope
Nick Stellino has a similar recipe that produces a very flavorful sauce in which the squash is cooked. It includes thickly sliced garlic, sage, basil and wine. I've made it many, many times, always to great reviews. I believe Stellino's recipes are available online, perhaps with a membership.
Diane
Thanks! It seems the written recipe is VIP membership only, but the video recipe in the right sidebar was free! http://www.nickstellino.com/recipes/Menu/Recipe/?rec=752&vid=304a
Figaro
Save a step and some time: brown cut up sausage in your skillet; remove and drain excess fat (boiling and browning it will give you hard little 'rocks'); cook some red onion in olive oil in same pan; add the butter, brown it; return sausage and add squash (save elbow-grease, buy already cubed squash); use pasta cooking water to finsih cooking sausage and add sage. Adjust seasonings. Roasting squash in the oven is a nice idea. I'm in So. Florida - too much heat in the kichen!
Mike
This dish is simple but with delicious and deep flavor. The key really is to get everything extremely brown. Almost to the point of it being burnt. That’s where all the flavor comes from. I added a dash of a rich deep flavored honey to help caramelize the squash but only a touch. Lots of pepper throughout is recommended too. Use the best quality butter and olive oil you have. You need the most most amount flavor from each of the few ingredient.
Raz
I made this with the following changes: Roasted squash in 425 degree oven for 20 min. Browned chicken ssg in pan, breaking it up. Then add half a diced red onion. About 20 minutes in, I added a splash of red wine to de-glaze pan, let it cook off, and then added the roasted butternut squash. I smashed some roasted garlic cloves from the oven and added. I browned butter separately with sage, then added that in toward the end when I added in the pasta. Great weeknight meal!
Megan
This was only ok- it seemed to be missing something to bring it all together. Next time I will add garlic and possibly a little dash of heat.
Jennifer S
On what planet does butternut squash cook in 7 min? 15 minutes COVERED, then 5 minutes uncovered on stovetop gave great results. Used bulk hot sausage, which, with the browned butter and squash yielded the perfect combo of spicy, salty, sweet. As tweaked, a keeper.
Leslie
Made this exactly as written, except there wasn’t any Italian sausage at the store. Bought Cajun flavored bratwurst and it was delicious. Will try again with Italian sausage and with suggested added spinach to bump up my vegetable consumption.
La Annabanana
I made this dish with the suggestions made by others and it was very good! : 1. Roast squash in spice mixture 2. Sauté sausage (no boiling first) 3. Add/Sauté shallot in butter/olive oil
Mo
Toss cubed squash with olive oil and garlic. Roast squash in 400 degree oven, 25-30 minutes, turning once with spatula. Just brown sausage on stove (don't boil first!)
Emma
This has become a weeknight staple in our house. It’s delicious, easy, and inexpensive. I just crumble and sauté the sausage instead of slicing and boiling it— gets rid of a couple steps, and it tastes great.
Alexandra
Really needed something else to tie it together.
EECS
Another thought - white wine to deglaze the pan?
Brendyn
Cook with bulk sausage instead of links!
jolee
Couldn’t stop eating but had to at least double the time cooking for squash. After cooking sausage cut up into small pieces. Double the parm and more squash
NicoleN
would only do 1/2 lb of pasta
Herménégilde Tremblay
The recipe is pretty good but the timings given are hilariously under. Squash will be raw if you follow these instructions, especially if you're trying to avoid crowding the pan. Same for the sausage. Budget another 20 minutes.
Annie
Easy, yummy. I started the squash in the oven, while I got other ingredients ready, then added to the pan as written. I did add some extra seasoning to squash, as I could only find mild Italian sausage; fennel seed, cayenne, garlic powder and oregano. I skipped the boil step for the sausage and just high roasted sliced in a pan. I like that this only has a few ingredients, but would potentially add some mushrooms or onion next time (not needed just for fun). Will make again.
Eve
I used sweet potato from our CSA. And sage (in February in Canada!) from the garden. It was very good. I do something similar with greens in the summer but this was an excellent winter pasta dish.
Therese
Added shallots, otherwise followed the recipe. It was delicious and I will make it again. Butter makes everything better.
Deborah
This came out very well. I added more sausage, squash, sage leaves, butter and cheese. As usual, I cut out the extra salt. Instead of boiling the sausage, I baked it in the oven on a rack for about 25 minutes, 450 degrees. I roughly sliced the sage. I agree with others that it is important to deeply brown the sausage. I too lazy to make a salad so I added fresh spinach. (Put raw baby spinach into the colander and drain the pasta over it to lightly cook the spinach.)
anonymous
Great recipe. We like to substitute chorizo for the sausage and roast the butternut squash. The chorizo adds a lot of great flavor (and was a lot better than the time we tried it with the sausage suggested by the recipe).
EGD
Easy, tasty. Quality of the sausage matters, though, and so does being patient enough to brown the squash.
kristen
Ali Slagle does it again. Simple and perfect. I used ground Italian chicken sausage and the little pieces fit perfectly in the orchiette. Also added some sautéed mushrooms because I had extra in the fridge. I would roast the squash next time because sauteeing was more trouble than it’s worth. Perfecto!
Diane
Followed the recipe exactly and found it to be average. Should have doubled the squash as many have said and should have added something to give it more of a kick. Perhaps crumbling up the sausage would better distribute the spiciness. If I made again, would definitely include red pepper flakes.
Cream Cheese
Used 1lb whole wheat rotini, 1.25 pounds polish sausage, 4 T butter. Couldn’t figure out pasta water. Needed more sage, should have doubled pumpkin, kinda boring but nice. Whole family ate it, leftovers, worth repeating.
Chris
Loved this recipe. I added sliced portobello mushrooms to the pan just before the squash was done. And added the butter and sage just after the mushrooms started releasing their water. So rich and delicious. Will make again.
Wendy H
Added half refino thickly sliced to butternut squash and roasted in 425° oven until roasted and caramelized. Will add crushed red pepper flakes next time. Tossed all in brown butter with sausage and added several generous handfuls of arugula right before adding pasta. Topped with a few blue cheese crumbles and a dab of goat cheese. Everyone was happy!
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