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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).
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.
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 recipe is absolutely incredible I made it a few weeks ago. Would frozen squash work the same? Should I defrost it first? I really want to recreate how well it turned out the first time, but I’m always scared I’m going to lose a finger chopping squash plus I already have some in my freezer.
Hey Courtney,
Happy Friday!!🌻 I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for trying it and sharing your review:) Yes, I would thaw the squash first but that should work well for you! xT
This is a silly question but after roasting the squash in the oven, do you include the thyme and rosemary in the food processor? I may have overdone both judging by your video so just checking. Thank you!
Hey Liz,
I would remove the rosemary and thyme, they really have already infused the squash in the oven:) I hope you love the recipe! xx
Made this last night and it is delicious! The butternut squash was not as hard to peel or cut as I feared. Can’t wait to have my leftovers for dinner tonight. Will definitely be in my winter meal rotation
Hey Kathy,
Happy Monday!! 🍁 Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for making it! xT
I’ve now made this 4 times in the last 3 weeks. Can’t get enough.
We’ve subbed the proscuitto for bacon, pork sausage, and chicken sausage, and all have been fantastic options.
Hot tip: peeling and dicing the squash it is even easier if you puncture it with a fork all over before microwaving it for about 3 minutes.
Hey Rachel,
Fantastic!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it turned out well for you! Have a great weekend:)
Made this last night and it was delicious! The sauce was quite thick after adding a lot of pasta water, but I also made homemade pasta so that may have added to the thickness. I also forgot to mix in the parmesan, but it was still tasty with it just on top! I would make this again, but wouldn’t put the effort into homemade pasta.
Hey Melly,
Fantastic!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it turned out well for you! Have a great weekend:)
can you make without the ricotta? Recommendations for substitution?
Hey Kirstin,
I would use another creamy texture like mascarpone or creme fraiche. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
Made this tonight and it was fantastic! I didn’t even have prosciutto or sage so it would be even better with those. Thanks Tieghan!
Hey April,
Happy Thursday! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for trying it out! xT
This turned out great! Thank you!
Hey Rachel,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xx
Hi there, I made this tonight and roasted 7-8 garlic cloves that I added in to the butternut squash purée. I guess my cloves were larger than normal because all I taste in the sauce is the garlic. It overwhelmed the butternut squash completely. Have you ever had this happen and do I just need to cut back next time? I wasn’t sure if it supposed to be a stronger garlic taste or more of the butternut squash taste? Thanks!
Hi Valerie,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, so sorry to hear about your garlic, it definitely shouldn’t overpower the butternut squash. Maybe your cloves were pretty large? Next time, I would just reduce to 4 cloves. I hope this helps! xx
Does an immersion blender work as well as a food processor? I’m wondering if I should add the 1/2 cup of pasta water to the butternut-risotto mix and then make use of the immersion blender to make a smooth sauce. Your thoughts?
Hi Margaret,
Sure, that should be okay for you to do! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it turns out well for you! xT
Hi!
Can I use shells for this recipe as my pasta?
thank you!
Hey Ariana,
Totally, shells will be great to use! I hope this recipe turns out tasty, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Subbing in Palmini (hearts of palm) pasta and coined apple gouda sausage. I’m very excited about dinner tonight…thank you!
Hey Jenn,
Happy Sunday! 🎃 So glad to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for making it and sharing your feedback! xx
Beautiful recipe that worked wonderfully (even on a hectic evening with family).
Awe thanks so much Abigail!! So glad to hear that this recipe was a hit! xT
Made this tonight and it was a great fall dinner! My food processor isn’t very strong so I had to thin out the mixture with some chicken stock but it was all delicious! My dog harassed me all night over the smell of the prosciutto in the oven!
Hey Beth,
Awesome!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for trying it out! Have a great weekend! 👻
Amazing recipe. I subbed smoked ham for the prosciutto because it is what I had that needed used up and I also didn’t read carefully enough and blended the ham in with the squash, garlic and ricotta but it was all still delicious!
Hi Natalie,
Happy Wednesday! I really appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad it was a winner! 🤩