Roasted Butternut Squash and Feta Pasta is the perfect easy pasta recipe for fall! Butternut squash is roasted with feta, garlic, and olive oil, then tossed with pasta for an easy and delicious fall meal.
This easy fall dinner is so cozy and delicious. I love making a big batch of this and eating it throughout the week. It's also great for entertaining. Make this for your next tailgate, and all of your family and friends will be a fan!
Recipe Inspiration
Last year, everyone went wild over the Tiktok Tomato Feta pasta. If you're not familiar with it, it involved baking a block of feta with tomatoes until roasted, then mixing with pasta.
This recipe is inspired by that trend, but with a fall twist. Butternut squash is the perfect sweet and savory addition to the recipe. It's perfectly cozy and great for fall.
I especially love the addition of crispy sage to this recipe. It adds a great savory element and is just so delicious!
This dish is great for an easy weeknight dinner or even for a tailgate. It's definitely one that's great for a crowd!
Roasted Butternut Squash and Feta Pasta Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need for this recipe:
- Butternut Squash - you can use pre-cubed, or peel and cube a butternut squash yourself. Aldi has a great frozen butternut squash package that you can thaw for this recipe.
- Block of Feta Cheese - buy the whole block, trust me!
- Olive Oil - Regular olive oil works great in this recipe
- Salt - Sea salt or Kosher salt is best
- Black Pepper - Preferably freshly cracked black pepper
- Garlic - Either pre-minced or mince it yourself
- Pasta - I used cavatappi, but you can use your favorite type of pasta or whatever you have on hand!
- Sage Leaves - Don't skip this!
- Butter - I used unsalted butter, but feel free to use salted if you prefer
Directions
First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Add the butternut squash, feta cheese, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic in an oven proof baking dish. Mix together well, then bake for 35 minutes, or until the butternut squash is fully cooked and easy to pierce with a fork.
While the squash is baking, cook pasta in salted, boiling water. Cook the pasta until al dente, because it will continue to cooking after you drain it. Before you drain the pasta, reserve a mug full of pasta water. It's essential that you do this! Drain the pasta and place in a large serving bowl.
When the squash is done, remove from oven and mix together squash, feta, and garlic with the pasta. Add pasta water and mix everything together well.
Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat and add sage leaves. Fry for 2 minutes a side, then garnish on the pasta and serve!
Kitchen Equipment
Here is some of the kitchen equipment you'll need for this recipe. All of these products can be found on Amazon.
- Oven-Proof Baking Dish: This set of 3 oven proof baking dishes are great for any home cook! There are three different sizes to cover a variety of dishes. Check out the set here.
- Frying Pan: You'll need a good frying pan to crisp up the sage in this dish. I love these frying pans, they are great quality and will last a long time.
- Serving Bowl: I love serving my pasta in a big, beautiful serving bowl. It really makes it the center of the table, as it should be! This serving bowl was made specifically for pasta, and it so beautiful on it's own!
Recipe Variations
Here are a few different variations for this recipe:
- Different cheese: If you don't like feta, no problem! You can also use goat cheese in this recipe, although it may not get as crumbly as the feta does. Just make sure you use pasta water when mixing everything together to get the dish 'saucy' enough.
- Pasta shape: I used cavatappi pasta for this dish, but you can definitely use any other shape! Shorter shapes will work best in this recipe. Why? Because you can get the perfect fork full of pasta, squash, and feta all in one bite. Yum!
- Other Squash: If you can't find butternut squash, try this recipe out with acorn squash or pumpkin. It will still be delicious!
Frequently Asked Questions
Roasted butternut squash tastes sweet and nutty. It has a similar taste to roasted sweet potatoes and a similar soft texture.
Pork, chicken, and pasta all go great with butternut squash. Additionally, sage, thyme, and rosemary are all herbs that go well with butternut squash.
Fried sage has a strong earthy and savory flavor. Frying the sage lets the oils out of the sage and improves the taste. The result is a crispy punch of flavor that is great with savory or semi-sweet dishes.
More Pasta Recipes
Looking for more delicious pasta recipes? Check out some of our favorites below:
7 Ingredient Roasted Red Pepper Sauce: This sauce is out of this world, and only 7 ingredients! Did I mention it's vegan too? This one is awesome on pasta and is truly a favorite in my house.
Portobello Mushroom Bolognese: This vegetarian pasta recipe has all the flavors of bolognese, but without any of the meat! This recipe is great for meatless Monday or a weeknight dinner. Plus, it's ready in 30 minutes!
Baked Italian Mac and Cheese: If you love Mac and cheese, this is the recipe for you! This classic dish gets an upgrade with a burst of Italian flavors. I love bringing this recipe as a side dish to a party - it's a fan favorite!
Roasted Butternut Squash and Feta Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash peeled and cut into cubes
- 1 block feta cheese 8 oz
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb pasta
- 10 sage leaves
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place butternut squash, feta cheese, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic in an oven-proof baking dish. Mix together and bake for 35 minutes.
- While squash is baking, cook pasta in salted boiling water. Cook until al dente. Reserve a mug of pasta water before draining. Drain pasta and place in a large serving bowl.
- Remove baking dish from the oven. Mix squash and feta into pasta and add in pasta water. Mix well.
- Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add sage leaves and fry for 2 minutes per side. Garnish with crispy sage and serve.
Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to leave a comment and star rating below!
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