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The coziest bowl of Creamy Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Pasta. Best for nights when you’re craving Italian, but also craving fall flavors. Butternut squash and garlic, roasted with fresh herbs and pureed into a creamy sauce with ricotta cheese. All together they make for the most vibrant and delicious pasta. Finish off with parmesan cheese and crispy-salty prosciutto for an autumn dinner that’s roll your eyes back GOOD.
Monday nights are better with cozy bowls of pasta. It’s got to just be a fact by now. But really, it’s been chilly, chilly here and I’m loving every minute of the cozy weather.
I said this yesterday in the favorite’s post, but I thrive this time of year. It just makes me so happy.
And let’s be real, I LOVE the food. Especially the creamy plates of pasta. And today’s pasta is almost perfection (almost because perfection is overrated).
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Cubed butternut squash
- Garlic
- Fresh thyme leaves
- Chopped fresh rosemary
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Prosciutto
- Ricotta cheese
- Long or short cut pasta
- Salted butter
- Fresh chopped sage
- Shredded gouda cheese
- Grated parmesan cheese
This pasta is fun to make – here are the details
I kept this as simple as can be, so don’t let the steps and time throw you off. Promise the recipe is easy, you just need some time to roast that squash.
The heart of the pasta is really all in the butternut squash and garlic…and the herbs, cheese, and geez I guess the prosciutto too. Ok, so everything together is what makes it delish. The secret? Roasting the squash, garlic, and prosciutto together on the same sheet pan. As the squash roasts, the garlic caramelizes, and the prosciutto gets crispy.
First, toss the squash and garlic with lots of fresh thyme, rosemary, chili flakes, salt, and pepper.
Arrange the prosciutto around the squash and roast for a bit. Very simple.
Of course, if you don’t eat meat, you can easily omit the prosciutto to make this a vegetarian pasta. I would add sun-dried tomatoes, those would be delish.
Purée the squash into sauce
Once the squash has finished roasting, puree it with the garlic and ricotta cheese until smooth. You can do this in a food processor or blender.
Next, boil the pasta, but save some of the water for thinning sauce.
Now melt the butter in a skillet with sage. Next, add the squash purée and a splash of the cooking water. Stir in some gouda cheese, add the pasta, and toss, toss, toss. Taste and season as needed. And well…you’re done.
Then serve topped with extra parmesan and that crispy prosciutto and fresh sage.
It’s such a creamy, delicious pasta that has all the flavors we love most this time of year. And it’s cheesy – very cheesy, so it’s beyond good. Think roll your eye back, go for that second serving good.
Great for the end of October and then into November when the nights are cold and long. The perfect bowl to cozy up to by the fire.
Looking for other butternut squash recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Rosemary Roasted Butternut Squash Pizza
Roasted Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna
Butternut Squash Pasta Carbonara with Rosemary Bacon
Fall Harvest Roasted Butternut Squash and Pomegranate Salad
Hasselback Butternut Squash with Sage Butter and Prosciutto Breadcrumbs
Lastly, if you make this Creamy Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash 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!
Watch our how-to video:
Creamy Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Pasta
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 326 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
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- crushed red pepper flakes
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 8 slices prosciutto
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 pound long or short cut pasta
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage
- 1/2 cup shredded gouda cheese
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 400° F. 2. On a baking sheet, toss together the olive oil, butternut squash, garlic, thyme, 1 tablespoon rosemary, and a pinch each of red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Arrange the prosciutto around the squash. Bake 20 minutes, check the prosciutto, then bake another 10-15 minutes, until the squash is tender. 3. Add the butternut squash, garlic, and ricotta to a food processor. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. 4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Just before draining, remove 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain.5. In a large skillet, melt together the butter, sage, and 1 tablespoon rosemary. Cook until the butter is browning, then add the butternut puree and 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, stirring until combined. Melt in the gouda and parmesan. 6. Add the pasta to the sauce, tossing to combine. If needed, thin the pasta sauce with a little of the reserved cooking water. 7. Divide the pasta between plates. Top with parmesan and prosciutto. Twirl the pasta up. EAT and ENJOY.
This post was originally published on October 25, 2021
will this sauce freeze?
It should freeze just fine! xTieghan
How would you recommend cooking/at what step adding the sun dried tomatoes if we subbed that for the prosciutto? Looks so yummy I’m excited to make it thanks!!
Hi there! I would add it in either when roasting the squash or right before serving! xTieghan
There is ricotta listed in the ingredient list, but it is not mentioned anywhere else… where/how is it incorporated into the dish?
Hi! Step 3 it says to incorporate it with the squash and garlic.
Hi Julie! It is blended in the food processor with the squash and garlic xTieghan
The perfect fall dinner! Subbed turkey bacon, and low fat versions of the ingredients with less butter and still delicious!
Hey there! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
How much puree does the 2 cups of squash make? I already have pumpkin puree on hand and eanetdf to use that instead.. But I don’t know how much to substitute..
Hi there! I would say you could use about a whole can of pumpkin puree! xTieghan
Made this tonight! I had a bit too much squash so my sauce was thick with just 1 cup of pasta water. I’ll be making it again FOR SURE! Flavors were excellent!?
Hey there! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
Going to make this tonight – can’t wait! Do you think I could substitute yogurt for the ricotta to make it a little healthier, or would that take away from the dish?
Update: made it with yogurt and subbed roasted tomatoes for the prosciutto. Turned out awesome, excited for the leftovers
Hey there! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
Hi there! I haven’t tried that before, so I’m not too sure! xTieghan
Sounds delightful. Recently diagnosed with diabetes. Looking for vegetable recipes. What is serving size and do you have an estimate of carbs without pasta?
HI! We use an online calculator to generate this info, so I am not sure on the carbs. A serving is about 1 cup of pasta. Hope you love this! Thank you! xx
Sindia, are you trying to use a different cheese altogether, or omit the cheese completely?
If substituting, havarti, munster, or a young white cheddar would go great with this sauce.
If trying to eliminate the cheese altogether, it may take away from the creaminess of the sauce.
Love your recipes! This one is a must! Could you suggest a substitution for the gouda or could I just eliminate it?
Hey there! I would suggest using whatever cheese you prefer to replace the Gouda! xTieghan
Do you think you could use this recipe with spaghetti squash rather than pasta? If so, any tweaks you recommend?
You can, but it might get a little mushy over time. Zucchini noodles (zoodles) would be a better noodle alternative if you’re trying to go gluten-free. Or, you can use Korean glass noodles, called japchae (from your local international food market).
Thanks so much Erica! I think I am going to try out the glass noodles.
Hi Kerri! Yes, that should work just fine! 🙂 I would assume everything would be the same but you just serve over spaghetti squash instead of pasta! xTieghan
Do you take the skin off of the butternut squash before baking?
Hey! If you’re going to roast the squash whole, then you don’t need to peel the squash. If you are cubing the squash to reduce cooking time, it needs to be peeled.
I have same question. Assume it is peeled as butternut is winter squash ans has tough skin.
Hey! Yes I did! 🙂 xTieghan
Can’t wait to try this, but I have to tell you that I’ve hated cooking for most of my life. Now that I’ve discovered Half Baked Harvest, I’m enjoying it because of the simplicity of recipes, easy-to-find ingredients and plain, downright deliciousness. Thank you.
Hi Helen! Thank you so much! I hope you love this recipe 🙂 xTieghan
Could you use spaghetti squash for the pasta?
You can, but it might get a little mushy over time. Zucchini noodles (zoodles) would be a better noodle alternative if you’re trying to go gluten-free. Or, you can use Korean glass noodles, called japchae (from your local international food market).
Yes, definitely! xTieghan
so funny, i made this dish saturday – it’s like you read my mind! LOL It is amazing isn’t it? I didn’t make mine with ricotta but will certainly give that a go.
Hey! This is awesome, I’m so happy to hear this recipe turned out the way you’d hoped! 🙂 xTieghan