Butternut, sage baked pasta is a butternut (or pumpkin) béchamel tossed with garlic and sage fried in butter and topped with a crispy breadcrumb and cheese crust. Oh yes.

Let’s discuss weekend routines. On Sundays, The Farmer in the Red Hat ventures out into the yard and keeps busy with tending the garden, chickens, and children. Sundays in my kitchen are filled with a busy, quiet hum. Sundays are for jam making (seasonally, of course) bread baking, and roasting butternut squash. This, at first….and even second glance…seems like an odd way to spend one’s Sunday afternoon but my children rather depend on it. They depend on the bread for their weekday breakfasts and the jam to spread on it. Their absolute favorite dinner in the world is baked pasta with butternut squash; or as they affectionally call it, “pasagna.”

Why You’ll Love Butternut and Sage Baked Pasta

My Butternut and Sage Baked Pasta is impressive enough for a dinner with friends, casual enough for a Tuesday, and addictive enough to eat curled up in your fuzzy socks on the couch. This is grown up baked ziti, boujee mac and cheese…the most delicious, decadent comfort food that is actually pretty darn healthy for you. The roasted butternut squash in this recipe takes the place of the extra cheese and cream normally present in béchamel, lending a creaminess without the extra calories and heaviness. This baked pasta is so light, you’ll find yourself taking seconds and thirds. The sage dials backs the sweetness of the squash and nutmeg adds a comfort and coziness. If you’re family is anything like my family, everyone will stake out a piece of baked pasta with extra crispy top. For this reason – you do not want to skimp on the panko topping; the panko gives it that OMG crunch and gives some textural variation to an otherwise creamy dish. You’ll want to make an extra one for the freezer, for a friend who needs a little TLC, or for a midnight snack. During the autumn, I love to roast sugar pumpkins for this recipe instead of butternut squash. Use either for this recipe! Both are delicious!

Print Recipe

Butternut and sage baked pasta

Course: Brunch, Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baked pasta, cheese, pasta, pumpkin, sage

Servings: 5

Author: wildheartkitchen

Ingredients

• 1 sugar pumpkin or butternut squash between 3-3.5 lbs (See Crash Course)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil plus 1 tablespoon for pasta water
• 1 lb. short but pasta such as rigatoni or ziti
• Pinch kosher salt
• 3 tablespoon butter
• 2 TB fresh sage leave minced (about four large leaves)
• 2 TB fresh garlic minced
• 1.5 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/8 rounded teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon sage powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 6 oz. aged sharp cheddar cheese or your favorite sharp cheese plus 1.5 oz. more for topping
• 1.5 cups baby spinach rinsed, thoroughly dried, and cut into thin ribbons
• ¾ oz pecorino romano or parmesan cheese
• 6-7 tablespoons panko crumbs to generously cover the top
• 4 large sage leaves ripped into pieces
• Olive oil to drizzle roughly 3 tablespoons

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Line a 9×13 cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Using a very sharp knife, split the pumpkin/butternut squash in half.
• Rub the pumpkin/squash halves all over with 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
• Place the pumpkin/squash halves, cut side down, on the cookie sheet and roast between 45 minutes to 1 hour, until skin has darkened and the pumpkin/squash is really fork tender. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool/until cool enough to safely handle.
• When the pumpkin/squash has cooled, remove the seeds and the skin. Place the pumpkin flesh in a bowl and mash with a fork until smooth. Set aside.
• Fill a 4 quart pot with water, a pinch of kosher salt, and a tablespoon of olive oil,.
• Place the pot over a medium-high heat to a boil.
• Add the pasta and cook as directed by the instructions on the package until al dente. Drain the pasta in a colander, and rinse with cool water. Set aside. Rinse the pasta pot with water and wipe clean. Place back on the stove top.
• Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in the 4 quart pot over medium heat until slightly shimmering. Continue to monitor the butter until it turns light brown and begins to smell nutty.
• Add the minced garlic and sage. Stir and cook until the garlic is slightly golden and both garlic and sage are fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add the flour to the pot and stir until there is no visible white flour left on the bottom of the pot, about 30 seconds.
• While stirring, slowly add the milk and lower the heat to a simmer. Add the garlic powder, sage powder, and nutmeg. Stir continuously until the milk has reduced and the spoon can draw clean lines to the bottom of the pot. This should take about a minute.
• Add 6 oz. of grated cheese and stir continuously until the cheese has melted. Add the pumpkin/squash and stir well to until incorporate.
• Add the spinach to the pot, mix well to combine.
• In a large mixing bowl, add the cooked pasta and the pumpkin mixture. Carefully mix until the pasta and sauce are evenly distributed.
• Butter a 11×8 inch (2.5 quart) gratin dish
• Pour the pasta mixture into the gratin dish and smooth the top.
• Sprinkle the top of the pasta with 1.5 oz. cheddar cheese and pecorino romano cheese.
• Sprinkle the panko and the four shredded sage leaves over the top and lightly drizzle the olive oil over the top.
• Tightly cover the gratin well with with aluminum foil, making sure to tent it so the foil does not touch the pasta (otherwise the foil will stick when baking). Place the gratin dish on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
• Remove the foil from the gratin dish and bake for another 8-10 minutes until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven.
• Turn the oven and switch the broiler on to medium. Place the gratin dish (with the cookie sheet) under the broiler for about 1-2 minutes until the cheese has golden bits and the edges get a but crunchy. REMEMBER to watch the dish while under the broiler, it can turn from golden to burnt in an instant!
• Remove from the oven and allow the baked pasta to cook for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

• Prep ahead: Assemble the baked pasta up until the instructions to bake! Keep tightly wrapped in the fridge and bake before dinner!
• A Crispy option: You can cook this pasta bake in a preheated and buttered 12 inch cast iron skillet. It gives the edges a little extra delicious crunch. If you do. Preheat the skillet in the oven for about 10 minutes prior to adding the pasta mixture and proceed with cooking directions above.
• Roast ahead of time: I roast all the pumpkins I can find during the autumn and freeze the roasted flesh. This way, I always have roasted pumpkin available.