Linguiça Butternut Squash Pasta Bake is the ultimate winter comfort. A creamy delicious take on baked mac and cheese but made a little healthier.
Linguiça is fully cooked Portuguese sausage. Flavors like garlic and paprika make this sausage a little spicy, smoky and absolutely perfect for the contrast of flavors of the roasted butternut squash. Add cheese to the mixture and BAM! You have a deliciously flavorful pasta.
The best part? Your family would never guess that butternut squash is the main ingredient. It tastes like creamy cheesy baked mac and cheese. I love pureeing veggies into my sauces for pastas. I feel so sneaky and I can feel good about eating the pasta. Because it’s all healthy right?
Linguiça Butternut Squash Pasta Bake
11 January, 2013
: 6
: 20 min
: 40 min
: 1 hr
: Easy
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds Butternut Squash, skin and seeds removed, chopped
- 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus more for drizzling
- 2 whole {11 ounce package} Linguiça Sausages, sliced
- 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 1 whole Yellow Onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup Vegetable Stock or Chicken Stock
- 1 cup 2% Milk
- 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt, plus more for seasoning
- 1 box {14.5 ounces} Whole Wheat Penne Pasta, cooked according to al dente
- 1 cup Monterey Colby Jack Cheese, shredded
- 1 cup Low Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
- Parmesan Cheese, for garnish
- Chives, chopped for garnish
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Step 2 Spray a casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- Step 3 Place the chopped butternut squash on a large sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until squash is fork tender. Remove and set aside.
- Step 4 While squash is roasting, prepare the base of the sauce. In a large heavy bottom pot heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add sliced linguiça sausage to the pan, cook to crisp up in the oil, about 2 minutes per side. Remove sausage to a plate.
- Step 5 Add butter and chopped onion to the pot and cook until onion is slightly browned and caramelized, about 5 minutes. Turn heat off and add the butternut squash to the pot, stir to combine.
- Step 6 Transfer onions and butternut squash to a blender or food processor and blend veggies until smooth. Blend in some of the stock if it’s too thick. Add blended veggies back to the pot with remaining stock, milk, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and kosher salt. Stir to combine and bring mixture to a simmer.
- Step 7 Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water, cook until pasta is al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and add it into the sauce. Fold in cooked linguiça and monterey colby jack cheese until cheese it melted.
- Step 8 Pour pasta into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle the top evenly with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Step 9 Remove and serve garnished with grated Parmesan cheese and chopped chives. Enjoy!
Savor and Enjoy!
Yum! This looks so delicious! Thanks for sharing Victoria :) I love the whole pull apart cheese effect! Ugh it’s way too late haha and it’s making me hungry!
Thanks Jessica! That cheese is a work of art! Definitely makes me hungry by the sight of it!