Rigatoni with Roasted Butternut Squash Cream Sauce

Rigatoni with Roasted Butternut Squash Cream Sauce is luxuriously creamy and flavorful, but lower in fat and calories because it doesn’t rely on heavy cream for it’s wonderfully silky texture.

Pasta is one of my favorite food and I’m always looking for new ways to enjoy this favorite. If I can figure out healthier recipes for pasta, even better. Which is why I love this roasted butternut cream sauce so much!

This sauce gets it’s creamy start from roasted butternut squash that’s pureed with some chicken stock. I love to roast up a large batch of butternut squash and then freeze it in 1 cup portions. It’s great to have on hand for a variety of recipes and it helps this roasted butternut squash cream sauce come together in just 30 minutes.

Along with the rich flavor from the roasted butternut squash, this sauce gets great savory flavor from a little bit of pancetta, garlic, onion and fresh sage. And because it’s pasta after all, a generous handful of parmesan gives it the final flavor boost. It’s a total flavor party in your mouth!

To help the sauce get to just the right consistency, I added almond milk rather than heavy cream and some of the pasta water. This helps to keep the recipe healthier because you’re not adding all the extra calories  you would with cream. I promise, you won’t miss the heavy cream.

If you’d prefer this to be vegetarian, you can substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock and omit the pancetta.  For a gluten free option, use your favorite gluten free pasta. I used brown rice rigatoni and it was delicious with the sauce.

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Yield: 8 servings

Rigatoni with Roasted Butternut Squash Cream Sauce

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Rigatoni with Roasted Butternut Squash Cream Sauce is luxuriously creamy and flavorful, but lower in fat and calories because it doesn’t rely on heavy cream for it’s wonderfully silky texture.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 lb rigatoni, cooked according to package instructions, reserve the pasta water
• 4 oz pancetta, diced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 lbs (about 2 1/2 cups) roasted butternut squash
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 3/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
• pinch of grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp fresh sage, chopped

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add pancetta and cook until browned and crispy.
3. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.
4. Saute onion and garlic in pancetta drippings until soft, about 5 minutes.
5. Add squash and chicken stock to pan and continue cooking until heated through.
6. Puree mixture with an immersion blender.
7. If you don't have an immersion blender, use a conventional blender to puree, making sure you hold a towel over the lid so it doesn't pop off from the heat,
8. Stir in almond milk, parmesan cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
9. Then add pasta water, a little at a time, until it's a creamy, saucy consistency.
10. Stir in reserved pancetta and sage.
11. Add pasta to skillet and stir to combine with sauce.
12. If sauce seems too thick, add a little more pasta water.
13. Serve immediately.

Notes

To make this recipe vegetarian, you can use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock and omit the pancetta.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 264Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 533mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 9g

ENJOY!