My brother-in-law generously gave us a basket full of produce from his garden this past weekend.  As soon as I saw the butternut squash I knew I wanted to make a delicious fall pasta recipe.   You can’t beat fresh produce straight from the garden.  I knew we were in for a treat.

Farfalle Pasta with Butternut Squash & Turkey Italian Sausage

This fall pasta recipe is easy to make yet rich with flavor.  For a quick weeknight dinner, I cooked the squash in the microwave.  If I had more time, I would roast it in the oven.

Ingredients

2-3 Tablespoons Light Olive Oil

1 Medium Butternut Squash

1 Onion, sliced 

2 Banana Peppers, sliced, seeds removed

1 lb. Turkey Italian Sausage, casing removed

1 lb. Farfalle (Bow Tie) Pasta

Dried Sage

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Crushed Red Pepper

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

Prepare water for pasta and bring to boil.

Wash squash and prick with a knife in several spots so that steam can escape.  Cook in microwave.  Depending on the size of your squash, you should start with eight minutes and keep cooking until soft to the touch.

Slice onion and peppers and saute in olive oil until cooked.   Remove from pan.  Add turkey Italian sausage to pan and brown, breaking up the sausage into smaller pieces.  I use the turkey Italian sausages and remove the sausage from the casing.  Once sausage is completely cooked, add onion and pepper mixture back to pan.

Remove squash from microwave.  Slice in half and remove seeds.  Let cool slightly and then peel skin with paring knife.  It should come off very easy.  Cut squash into small chunks.  Add to pan.  Season with dried sage, salt and pepper to taste.

Cook farfalle pasta according to package directions.  I like mine al dente.  Before draining, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.   Add to sausage mixture and simmer to the consistency you would like for your sauce.  Add more if desired.

Plate your pasta in your dish and add butternut squash mixture on top.  Season with crushed red pepper and grated parmesan cheese.

Do you have a favorite recipe for butternut squash?

Bon Appétit and thank you for stopping by.