Next Post
Easy Garlic Parmesan Buffalo Chicken Wings.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
This creamy Roasted Butternut and Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta is the perfect fall pasta dinner. Rosemary and garlic roasted butternut squash pureed into a creamy parmesan cheese sauce, then tossed with pan-seared Italian seasoned chicken and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook this together with rigatoni pasta for a warming dinner made quickly. Truly one of those all-in-one dinners that everyone at the table will love. You can’t go wrong with this Tuscan-style butternut squash pasta.
Weeknights are better with a cozy bowl of pasta. With Labor Day now behind us, I’m leaning into my cozy autumn recipes, which I kind of feel is what HBH is known for. Over the next few months, I have so many recipes to share!
In the coming weeks, we’ll have zero pumpkin recipes, we’ll save those for a little later. Instead, we have plenty of game day recipes – perfect for tailgating or watching the game from the comfort of your couch. We’ve also got simple family dinners for cozy nights at home. And of course, yummy baked goods, including a few new apple dishes. And so much more!
Eek, I am so excited! We’re starting things off with a great transitional pasta. Butternut squash is currently in season, so I used this favorite fall vegetable and pureed it in a creamy pasta sauce. This is delicious!
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Cubed butternut squash
- Garlic
- Shallot
- Chopped fresh sage
- Chopped fresh rosemary
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Heavy cream
- Grated parmesan cheese
- Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
- Boneless skinless chicken breast
- Italian seasoning
- Chili flakes
- Salted butter
- Short cut pasta
Here are the details
Step 1: roast the butternut squash
I kept this as simple as can be, so don’t let the steps and time throw you off. Promise this recipe is easy, you just need some time to roast that squash.
The heart of the pasta is really all in the butternut squash, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and herbs. Everything together is what makes this such a special delish. The secret? Roasting the squash, garlic, and shallots together on the same sheet pan. As the squash roasts, the garlic caramelizes and gets a little crispy too.
First, toss the squash with garlic cloves, shallot fresh sage, and rosemary. Then, a little salt, and pepper. Bake until tender, the kitchen will smell delicious.
Step 2: puree the squash into a sauce
Once the squash has finished roasting, puree it with the garlic, shallots, parmesan, and cream, or use milk. You can do this in a food processor or blender.
Step 3: cook the chicken
I love using a jar of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. Not only are the tomatoes delicious, but I also use the oil from the jar to cook the chicken. The oil is always seasoned, so it adds even more flavor. Just make sure it’s extra virgin olive oil.
While I’m cooking the chicken, I season it with homemade Italian seasonings. I use a blend of dried basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and sage with some paprika and chili flakes too. It’s a delicious mix and makes the chicken very flavorful.
Get the chicken seared up in the pot, then pull it out before adding the water.
Step 4: cook the pasta and toss it
Add water to the pot and then boil the pasta. Once al dente, you can mix in the squash purée, the remaining cream or milk, parmesan, and the sun-dried tomatoes too.
Toss everything together until the squash is very creamy. Add the chicken back to the pot with the pasta and toss everything until creamy.
I serve each bowl with extra parmesan and fresh basil. DELICIOUS!
You can serve this up on busy weeknights, but it’s equally great for dinners with friends and family.
Looking for more pasta recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Pesto Tortellini Zuppa Toscana
Creamy Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Pasta
One Pot French Onion Pasta with Crispy Prosciutto
Basil Parmesan Pasta with Crispy Chicken, Prosciutto, and Arugula
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
Lastly, if you make this Roasted Butternut Squash and Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Roasted Butternut Squash and Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 492 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups cubed butternut squash
- 6-10 cloves garlic
- 1 shallot, quartered
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 jar (8 ounce) oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
- 4 tablespoons Italian seasoning (see note)
- chili flakes
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 pound short cut pasta
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 400° F.2. On a baking sheet, toss together the olive oil, butternut squash, garlic, shallot, sage, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Bake 20 minutes, until the squash is tender.3. Add the butternut squash, garlic, and shallot to a food processor. Puree until smooth. Add 1/3 cup cream/milk and 1/3 cup parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Blend until creamy. 4. Meanwhile, drain 3 tablespoons of oil from the sun-dried tomato jar into a large pot or skillet with sides. Chop the sun-dried tomatoes and set aside.5. Set the pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, 2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Cook until golden brown, 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot.6.To the same pot, add the butter and 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning. Cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add 3 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, add the pasta, and cook, stirring often, until the pasta is al dente, 8 minutes. Stir in the butternut puree, 2/3 cup cream, 2/3 cup parmesan, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Slide the chicken and any juices left on the plate.7. Serve topped with parmesan and basil. EAT and ENJOY.
Notes
Italian Seasoning: Mix 2 tablespoons dried basil, 2 tablespoons dried oregano, 2 teaspoons dried thyme, 2 teaspoons paprika, 2 teaspoons chili flakes, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, and 1 teaspoon dried sage. Store in a sealed container.
This post was originally published on September 5, 2023
Planning on making this tonight, so I don’t drain the pasta after it cooks ? Sorry that just confused me. Thanks
Hi Pamela,
Yes, that is correct, it will become part of the sauce:) I hope you love this recipe! xT
Turned out beautifully, so delish !! Any special tips on freezing some of the leftovers? Only 2 of us . Thank you for the recipe and your quick response to questions.
Hi Pamela,
So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! I would just freeze in an airtight container, that will work nicely for you. Have a wonderful week! xx
Another winner! My husband and I loved it. We cut back on sundried tomatoes cuz they can be a tad strong. We love website and I got your Super Simple cookbook for Christmas. Every recipe I make for my niece is delicious so she got me the cookbook!
Hey Kathleen,
Happy Thursday! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it turned out nicely for you! XxT
Planning to try this! The store ran out of fresh diced butternut squash. Thoughts on using frozen if steamed then roasted in oven?
Hi there,
I think that would be just fine for you to do:) I hope you love this recipe! xT
Loved this! Water didn’t cover the pasta in the pot either but it was still fine. I Just covered it to make sure the pasta cooked. So good! And feel this is a little like healthier and elevated Mac and cheese since it’s made with squash but so delicious and rich.
Thanks so much, Kim!! I am so glad to hear this dish was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it! Have a great Tuesday! xx
This was super good! I served it to my toddlers and they loved it as well. Great flavor.
Hi Megan,
Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend! xT
I’ve made this 5x this fall so far. Obsessed
Hi Emily,
Wonderful! Thank you so much for making this recipe and your comment! So glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy Sunday! xx
This was delicious!! In typical me fashion I didn’t read the directions all the way through and had already had the pasta boiling separately but I just saved some of the pasta water and it still turned out beautifully! This will for sure be what I bring to the next Friendsgiving!
Thanks so much, Lyric:) I’m so glad to hear this dish turned out nicely and appreciate you making it! XxT
I made this last night and my husband and I loved it! Next time I’ll try not to add more water so that the sauce is thicker but I had the same problem as someone else mentioned, the 3 1/2c water didn’t cover the pasta in my pot. I only added about 1c more but the sauce was a little watery and may have affected the flavor of the squash puree. any suggestions on how to thicken the sauce?
Hey Jenn,
Happy Sunday!🍂🍁 Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and your comment, love to hear it turned out well! Next time, don’t add more water, just stir the pasta a lot while it’s cooking and that will help! x
ok thanks for your reply! luckily while it was in the fridge overnight it thickened up but I will keep that in mind for next time =)
This was delicious! I would not recommend discarding the herbs. I threw mine in the food processor and it gave the save a wonderful flavor! Next time I might sub the chicken for pancetta or crispy prosciutto.
Thanks so much, Jessica! Love to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! Have the best weekend! xx
I’m vegan, I subbed the heavy cream for oat milk, butter for earth balance margarine, parmesan for follow your hearts vegan parmesan, and the chicken for Tofurky’s plant based chick’n lightly seasoned. Kept everything else the same.
Had some fun pumpkin shaped pasta that I was dead set on making a squash sauce with. Found this recipe… so good omfg. Highly recommend!!
Hey Alexa,
Happy November!! Thank you so much for trying this dish and sharing what worked well for you! Glad to hear it was a hit!
So, you don’t drain the pasta water?
Hi Wanda,
Yes, that is correct:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Hello, just made this for tonight but recipe states TBSP of spice mixture…are only 3 are used? I could be completely blind, honestly.
Tastes great! I kept it vegan with crumbles and I dumped into a skillet to toast the cheese on top in oven. I had a few pepita seeds so threw them on top!
Also, squash is doubled because it was larger. Can I freeze the concoction? I am pretty good at improvising but thought I should ask!
Thanks!
Hey Erin,
Fantastic! So glad to hear this dish turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Sorry for any confusion, it is just 3T of the spice mixture and yes, you can totally freeze this. Happy Sunday! xT
A great flavorful dish and straightforward to make, but be aware of boiling the pasta! I added the 3.5 cups of water and the water ended up evaporating too quickly and left my pasta barely cooked. I ended up adding water until my pasta was cooked to my liking, a little over 6 cups total. It could have been my pan being too hot or my pot being too large, but I’d recommend keeping an eye on your pasta and adding until your pasta is cooked to your liking. I’m not super hot on a lot of tomato so did use the oil but cut the amount of dried tomato in half. Overall a great dish, I’ll be coming back to this.
Hi Tori,
Thanks so much for trying this dish and your feedback! Glad to hear it was enjoyed. Next time, I would turn your heat down for the pasta to cook better. Have a great fall weekend! xT
This was a great recipe even my grandkids hate it. You know how kids are sometimes I made two batches of it and one with Pete’s pasta for my son-in-law, as he is watching his carbs, and I was not paying attention to the directions and forgot to boil the water first, and I threw his pasta in and actually letting it cook that way Seem to give his a little bit more flavor with the sun-dried tomatoes. Also, I had two jars one with oil and one with water. And I used the one with water and dumped it into the pan with the water which also seemed to give it a little bit more flavor. We have not had a bad meal yet with any of your recipes. My daughter and I both follow you
Hey Sherrie,
Awesome!! Love to hear this recipe turned out nicely for you, thanks for making it! Hope you are enjoying fall! XxT
I made this for dinner and it was a hit with everyone. I used half and half, and made the butternut mixture ahead of time and stored it in the fridge until I was ready to make dinner. It’s sweet from the squash and sun dried tomatoes, and has the perfect amount of creamy cheesy sauce to coat the noodles. This was a great fall dinner, and you could easily leave the chicken out to make it vegetarian and it would be just as delicious.
Hey Carrie,
Wonderful! So glad to hear this dish turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Have a great fall weekend! xT
In your recipe you don’t say what to do with the sage and rosemary you chopped and cooked with the squash. Are we supposed to add it to the blender or discard?
Hi Nancy,
You can discard those, they will have infused the squash with flavors while baking. I hope you love this recipe! xT
Hello, how to discard, it is chopped up? Guessing to put in the blender? Thanks!