Creamy roasted butternut squash pasta with garlic crumbs - it’s delicately sweet and savoury with delicious creamy sauce, hearty rigatoni pasta and garlicky buttery crumb topping. This pasta recipe is fit for a restaurant menu, yet you can easily make it at home. It's an absolute crowd-pleaser, and your family and dinner guests will be impressed and satisfied!
Ingredients
For Roasted Butternut Squash
- ½ large butternut squash peeled and cut into medium cubes
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
For Garlic Crumbs
- 28 g butter (1 oz.)
- 1 clove garlic minced or grated
- ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs or gluten-free alternative
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For Pasta
- 330-340 g rigatoni pasta (12 oz.)
- 1 teaspoon salt
For Creamy Sauce
- 45-50 g butter (1.5 oz.)
- 3 cloves garlic minced or grated
- ½ cup heavy cream or half and half could be used
- ⅔ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon white pepper or black could be used
- ½ cup pasta water about 150 ml
- 1 cup cooked pumpkin cubed, roasted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 395 F / 200 C.
- Roast Butternut Squash. Peel and cut the squash into medium cubes. Grease a flat baking tray/sheet and toss the squash cubes in a little olive oil and salt. Roast for 35 minutes at 395 F.
- Make the crumbs. Heat a small pan over medium-high heat. Melt the butter and stir in the garlic for 10 seconds. Add the breadcrumbs, dried thyme and salt and stir. Cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown. These are easy to burn so keep an eye on them. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Cook Pasta.Add the pasta to a large pot of boiled water along with 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir and cook to al dente, as per pasta instructions.
- Once cooked, scoop ½ cup to 1 cup of pasta water into a bowl and strain the rest. Set pasta aside.
- Make the butternut squash pasta sauce.Add the ½ cup of pasta water to a jug or a tall bowl along with 1 cup of tightly packed roasted butternut squash. Puree using an immersion blender stick or you can do this in a blender/food processor. Set aside.
- In a large, deep saucepan, heat butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir until aromatic and slightly golden. Sprinkle in the nutmeg and white pepper and stir. Add the cream, pumpkin puree and grated Parmesan. Stir until melted. Taste and season with a little extra salt. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. The sauce will thicken slightly.
- Finish the pasta.Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and fold through. Then add the remaining butternut squash cubes and stir through the pasta and sauce. Top the pasta with garlic crumbs, you can reserve some to garnish individual servings. You can also top with more Parmesan cheese and some thyme.
- Serve while hot and creamy!
Notes
To lighten up the recipe, you can use lower-fat cream or half-and-half. Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce, Creamy Pasta, Creamy Rigatoni, Dinner Recipe, Pumpkin Pasta, Rigatoni Pasta
Nutrition
Calories: 756kcal | Carbohydrates: 84g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 1501mg | Potassium: 706mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 13482IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 266mg | Iron: 3mg
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