Creamy Goat Cheese Pasta with Butternut Squash & Sage
This Creamy Goat Cheese Pasta with Butternut Squash & Sage is the ultimate cozy fall pasta. Roasted squash, apples, crispy pancetta, tangy goat cheese, sage and hot honey create a creamy, sweet and savory sauce that's ridiculously easy to make.
Ingredients
- 4 cups Butternut squash peeled and cubed
- 1 large Apple cored and diced (about 1 ½ cups)
- 4 oz Pancetta diced
- 8 oz Goat cheese (2 small logs)
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon Red pepper flakes
- 1 12 oz box Rotini (I'm using Carbe Diem)
- 1 large clove Garlic finely minced
- 6 small Fresh sage leaves finely minced
- 1 ½ cups Reserved pasta water as needed
- Hot honey for finishing
- Flaky salt for finishing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Add the butternut squash, apple and pancetta to a large baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and season with kosher salt. Toss until evenly coated.
- Nestle the goat cheese in the center of the baking dish and top with red pepper flakes.
- Bake for 45 minutes, gently stirring the squash, apple and pancetta mixture halfway through. Try not to disturb the goat cheese while stirring so it stays intact and doesn't burn.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package directions until al dente. Before draining, reserve 1 ½ cups of pasta water.
- Once the butternut squash is fork-tender and the pancetta is cooked through, remove the baking dish from the oven.
- Immediately add the minced garlic, fresh sage and ½ cup of reserved pasta water. Stir everything together, breaking up the goat cheese, until a creamy sauce forms.
- Add the cooked pasta and toss until completely coated. Add more reserved pasta water, a little at a time, until the sauce is silky, creamy and resembles a traditional mac and cheese.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Finish with hot honey and flaky salt before serving.