Some dinners have the quiet power to make you feel like the kind of person who owns linen aprons and keeps a candle burning in the kitchen “just because.” This is one of them.
It starts with butternut squash — golden-edged, sweet, and roasted just long enough to turn soft in the middle without asking for your undivided attention. While it caramelizes, you’re free to boil pasta, fry a handful of sage leaves into crispy emerald chips, and pour cream into the pan like you’ve been making weekday pasta magic your whole life.
The trick is in the textures: silky sauce, tender pasta, the gentle bite of Parmesan, and that shattering crunch from the sage. Nutmeg is optional, but highly recommended if you want your dinner to smell like a cashmere sweater feels.
This isn’t a meal you plan days in advance. It’s the one you throw together when the weather turns and you’re suddenly craving something warm and slightly smug-making — the edible equivalent of pulling on your coziest sweats but still looking good enough to answer the door.
Serve it in deep bowls, scatter on extra cheese, and watch the steam curl up like a soft exhale. Woodland walk or not, you nailed it.
Fancy-feeling food for fried people.
Butternut & Sage Pasta Toss
Ingredients
- 12 oz 340 g short pasta (rigatoni, penne, or shells)
- 3 cups butternut squash peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (about 1 small squash or pre-cut)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt divided
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 12 fresh sage leaves
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg optional, but makes it sing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Toss squash cubes with olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and black pepper on a baking sheet. Roast until golden and tender, 18–20 minutes, flipping once.
- While squash roasts, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until just al dente; reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain.
- In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add sage leaves and fry until crisp and aromatic, about 30 seconds per side. Transfer sage to a paper towel, leaving butter in the pan.
- Pour cream into the sage butter, add remaining ½ teaspoon salt and nutmeg if using. Simmer 2–3 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Add roasted squash and pasta to the skillet. Toss gently, adding splashes of reserved pasta water if needed to loosen. Stir in Parmesan until melted and silky.
- Serve topped with crispy sage and extra Parmesan.
Notes
• Toddler tweak: Mash some roasted squash into the cream before tossing for a smoother sauce that clings to pasta.
• Apéro angle: Serve in small bowls with toothpicks for an unexpected fall nibble.
• Flavor swaps: Try sweet potato or pumpkin if butternut’s MIA. Fresh thyme or rosemary also works if sage isn’t your herb.