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This simple Creamy Baked 4 Cheese Butternut Squash Rigatoni is the perfect dinner. Quick, easy, cheesy, and so delicious! Roasted butternut squash with shallots, garlic, and herbs in a creamy 4-cheese, sun-dried tomato, spinach sauce. Cooked together with rigatoni pasta, then finished in the oven for a simple, delicious fall dinner. Truly one of those pasta bake dinners that everyone at the table will love. Great for a weeknight, but equally fancy enough to serve up at your next dinner party too. You can’t go wrong with this Tuscan-style butternut squash pasta.
Sometimes I look back at older recipes and I wonder what I was thinking when I decided to make and share that recipe. And then sometimes I look back and think, wow I need to make this!
This is a pasta that I looked way, way, way back for. I was going through recipes for our HBH 10-year anniversary when I came across this recipe and thought, yummm!
I looked at the recipe and thought, wow I could make that so much more efficiently than it’s written. So that’s just what I did! I had all the ingredients with me at the time and decided to just go for it.
It turned out so delicious, I just had to re-share it!!
Here are details
First, you’ll want to roast up the squash. Start by tossing the squash, shallots, and garlic with lots of fresh oregano, chili flakes, salt, and pepper.
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.
Now the pasta, take a big oven-safe skillet with sides and add a few cups of water. Just enough to cook the pasta. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta. Cook until the pasta is just al dente, but don’t drain it! Simply stir in the butternut puree, milk, lots of spinach, the sun-dried tomatoes. And finish with a mix of gouda and parmesan cheese.
Toss everything until it is creamy. Top with fontina cheese and bake until melty and the sauce is bubbling up.
I usually top with fresh herbs, then serve it up! DELICIOUS!
This is my ideal fall dinner, and I even got the picky eaters to dive right into this! It’s all that delicious cheese and creamy butternut squash in a Tuscan-style sauce. You just cannot turn away from that combo!
Looking for more comfort pasta recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
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
Lastly, if you make this Baked 4 Cheese Butternut Squash Rigatoni 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!
Baked 4 Cheese Butternut Squash Rigatoni.
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 410 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups cubed butternut squash
- 1 shallot, halved
- 6-10 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
- chili flakes
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 pound rigatoni or other short cut pasta
- 1 cup milk or cream
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 cup shredded gouda cheese
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded fontina or provolone cheese
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 425° F.2. On a baking sheet, toss together the olive oil, butternut squash, shallot, garlic, oregano, and a pinch each of chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Bake 20-25 minutes, until the squash is tender.3. Pop the garlic cloves out of their skin. Add the butternut squash, shallot, garlic, and ricotta to a food processor. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.4. In a large, oven-safe skillet with sides, bring 3 1/2 cups water to a boil, add the pasta, and cook, stirring often, until the pasta is al dente, 8 minutes. Stir in the pureed butternut squash. Add the milk/ cream, Italian seasoning, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes, stirring to combine. Stir in the gouda and parmesan until melted. 5. Remove from the heat and top with the fontina cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and gooey. Eat!
Notes
Italian Seasoning: Mix 2 tablespoons dried basil, 2 tablespoons dried oregano, 2 teaspoons dried thyme, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, and 1 teaspoon dried sage. Store in a sealed container.
A keeper, with adjustments. This was very good. I had a feeling the proportion of pasta to sauce was off when I made it. I did add plant based sausage which really was a nice addition, and did not cause lack of sauce. Next time I will cut the pasta down to 3/4 lbs at most and increase the squash to at least 4 cups and adjust other ingredients. I also suggest cooking the pasta separately and save the pasta water to make the sauce. It’s also way easier to put all the ingredients in a blender, except the shredded cheese and add pasta water to your desired thickness.
Hey Krista,
Wonderful!!❄️ Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, I am so glad it was a winner:)
Loved this recipe! Perfect for a chilly fall evening. I added extra spinach, as well as a little more milk for creaminess. I also added cubed chicken breast for protein and roasted my extra squash to put on the side (which really brought out the squash flavor in the pasta. Thank you!
Hey JoAnn,
Happy Monday!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xT
This is amazing! I made as is, except I cheated and used frozen cubed butternut squash. I will definitely make this again! I’m sitting here thinking about the leftovers in my fridge right now and we just finished eating this about 5 minutes ago!
Hey Shana,
Happy Monday!! So glad to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for giving it a go! xT
Hi! Making this tonight. Do you bake at the end at 425 degrees as well? Just wanted to clarify. Thanks!!
Hey Jenna,
Yes, you can leave the oven at 425F. I hope this recipe turns out amazing, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I made this the other night for game night with my friends and it was a hit! I had enough ingredients to make a second batch, so today I decided to do that and I am going to freeze half for easy meals when we get closer to the holidays. I didn’t have a shallot for this batch but I did have a red bell pepper I needed to use, so I roasted that alongside the squash and pureed it… omg, I think I liked this batch even better! Definitely going to be a staple recipe for me
Hey Dani,
Happy Monday!! So glad to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for giving it a go! xT
I made this dish this evening however I felt after it baked in the oven the pasta continued to absorb the moisture and it wasn’t a soft creamy loose pasta dish like I anticipated or hoped for. Being from Wisconsin I tend to over cheese so that might’ve been part of my problem.
My husband loved it despite. I will definitely add milk instead of cream next time and stick to your cheese measurements! The flavors were amazing with fresh roasted oregano.
Hey Rachel,
Happy Sunday!! I truly appreciate you giving this a try and sharing your feedback, so glad it was enjoyed:) xx
Hi! Have a question here- should I drain the noodles before adding in the purée and , milk and cheeses?
Thanks!
Hi Brittenee,
Nope, no need to drain anything, the leftover water will become part of the sauce. I hope this helps! xx
This is a new favorite! Absolutely delicious!
Hey Marghi,
Happy Friday!!🌻 I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for trying it and sharing your review:) xT
Absolutely delicious! Next time I’d add 2 heads of garlic because I love the garlicky flavor. I also added more sundried tomatoes as 1/2 cup didn’t seem like enough when I mixed them in. If you have access to cubed butternut squash, that’ll speed things up.
Hey Brittany,
Fantastic!! I love that this recipe turned out tasty for you, thanks so much for giving it a try! xx
So I reviewed this recipe October 24. I just wanted to add. I froze some leftovers because it was just too good to toss. It reheats perfectly. I just love this recipe. My new favorite pasta recipe!!! Thank you so much!!!
Hey Rebekah,
That’s so awesome! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you:)
It’s not the fastest recipe to make but it was very good! Could definitely prep some things ahead of time. Very cheesy and creamy
Hey Hannah,
So glad to hear you enjoyed this dish, thanks so much for making it and sharing your feedback! xT
An Aussie carnivore, here Tieghan, I liked the idea & the look of your recipe, so I thought I would give it ago, it’s mid spring over here & I had all the ingredients on hand except for sun dried tomatoes & fontina or provolone cheese, but had some tomato salsa leftover so used it & used Padano cheese to grate on top … this was sensational … thanks for the inspiration
Hey Ian,
Happy Monday!! 🍁 Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for making it! xT
I just made this and it is AMAZING!! So cozy and perfect for this time of year 🙂
also funny enough, I think your family lived right up the street from me in RR!
My mom said that our grandfathers used to be friends. Really happy I came across your blog! Cheers.
Hey Kathryn,
Happy Monday!! 🍁 Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for making it! Wow, such a small world!! Thanks for following along:) xT
Can you make this a day ahead of time and store in the fridge until ready to bake?
Hey Rhonda,
Totally, that will work well for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
Why are you allowing political advertising on your website??
I’m sure you don’t know this, but the ads are sponsored. This means the brand/individual are paying the ad company to show these ads while you’re browsing. They are targeted to your geographical area, search history, etc. Tieghan has no idea what ads you’re being shown.
Can I substitute frozen spinach for fresh?
Thanks, Jill
Hi Jill,
Yes, that will work well for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT