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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.
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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
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.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
How does this recipe fare when reheated?
Hi Shawna! This pasta should reheat well! xT
Just made this tonight. I completely forgot the ricotta somehow but it still turned out amazing. The purée was thick, yes, but the pasta water worked just fine. I did use pancetta instead of prosciutto and I thought it was amazing !
Hi! So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for trying it out! xT
Great recipe! but sauce was WAYYY too thick. I had to add quite a bit more pasta water to thin it out. the Crispy prosciutto puts it over the top in the best way!
Thanks for the feedback Beth! xT
Going to be making this tonight, seems perfect for a chilly fall night!
Delicious! Yummy, comforting flavors on a cool fall evening. I will make this again!
Hey Jessica! Hope you loved the recipe! xT
Can this sauce be frozen?
Yes, that should work just fine! xT
Love squash, but this was not a good flavor combination. I think squash just doesn’t work here. Looked delicious, a bit thick, and roasting smelled great. Just didn’t like it at all. No squash sauce in pasta ever again for me.
Excellent fall recipe. Sauce is super thick – needs to be thinned with milk or chicken broth. Pasta cooking water is a thickener, and will not thin this sauce. Flavors are very good; nice change to pumpkin sage sauces.
Thank you for the feedback Cynthia! xT
Hello!
I am planning on making this recipe for a fall/spooky season themed potluck and I was considering making mini ravioli in the shape of ghosts to go in it amongst the pasta (ambitious I know haha).
Do you know what ravioli filling would be the most complimentary to this dish?
I don’t actually know what a butternut squash tastes like but I figured ’tis the season to explore! Which is why I would love your guidance. Please and thank you! 🙂
Hi Nicole! Ooooh so fun!! You could do a yummy ricotta and spinach filling or something! 🙂 xT
Made the pasta for dinner tonight and it was deicious!!
Thank you so much Caroline! xT
What a delicious meal! I gave myself time to cook this without feeling rushed and I really enjoyed it. I saved myself extra pasta water – more than suggested – and I was able to create a really smooth sauce. Thank you for another yummy, flavorful recipe!
Thank you for trying out this recipe! Glad to hear you enjoyed it! xT
I can’t find butternut squash anywhere…would it be a total disaster to use canned pumpkin with the roasted garlic and herbs?
Hi Leah! I haven’t ever tried this specific recipe with pumpkin so I can’t say for sure, but I do have a few pumpkin pasta recipes on my blog if you want to look at those for inspiration! xT
Outstanding, Tieghan! Perfect dinner to put together while watching Sunday football. Absolutely loved the flavors in the creamy sauce which clung to the campanelle pasta I used.
Such a winner dish! I’ll be making this again, for sure!
Question: I have leftovers, so is a straight microwave reheat recommended, or should I be adding anything before reheat? Thanks!
Thank you so so much Judy! xT
Hi!! Making this now! Why does the recipe call for 2T fresh Rosemary but the instructions tell you to only cut up one for the roasting.? What happens to the other T?
Part of the rosemary gets roasted with the squash and the rest is cooked in the butter with the thyme.
I wish measurements like “two cups” would be replaced or complemented by weight measure. If you’re cutting your own squash, two cups could be very little or a lot depending on how you cut it. Going to go with 12oz since you link to that at target.
Thanks for the feedback Derek! xT
I haven’t made this yet, planning to tonight! Question: could you leave the butternut squash whole and roast it that way since we’ll be purée it? It’s so hard to cut that squash for me
Hi there! Yes, that should be fine! xT
Derek, I also like the idea of weight measurement. How did the 12 oz of squash turn out?
Derek, on second thought, metric measurement is already a choice under the ingredients list. Click ‘metric’ & you’ll see weight by grams.
Mmmmmm. Just made this. It tasted like creamy fall. I’m posted in Africa, so we can’t get Gouda cheese out here. I substituted for Brie and it made it even creamier. Other than that, I followed the recipe as written to keep it authentic. My family found this a hit. The sage is a hit in this dish, giving it an underlying flavor. Rosemary sneaks from the back end and butternut squash is obviously the star! We do not get to experience fall out here, so this dish made us think we did!
Thank you so much for trying out this recipe! xT
Made this evening, but I didn’t add pasta water. It would make it too thick and I already had to add a cup of milk. Pasta water makes it bond to the noodles but also thickens the sauce. I used Parm/Asiago/Romano mix with truffle gouda….omg! amazing recipe. It definitely has an autumn vibe but I wanted to make something different and I’m glad I did.
Hey Chelsea,
Happy Friday!!🍉🥭 I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for making it and sharing your comment! xT