Description
This Baked Feta and Butternut Squash Pasta with Sage and Garlic is a comforting, flavorful dish that combines sweet roasted butternut squash and creamy baked feta with aromatic sage and garlic, all tossed with pasta for a creamy, easy weeknight meal. The feta bakes alongside the squash, creating a luscious sauce that is enhanced with a touch of hot honey and fresh herbs.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Vegetables and Herbs
- 5 cups Butternut Squash (about 1 large butternut squash)
- 10 leaves Fresh Sage, minced
- 3 cloves Garlic, finely minced
Cheese
- 1 8 oz block Feta Cheese
Pantry Items
- 1/2 cup Olive Oil, plus more for drizzling
- 2 hefty pinches Kosher Salt (just shy of 1/2 tsp for squash, plus more for pasta and seasoning)
- 1 hefty pinch Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
- Fresh Cracked Black Pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon Hot Honey (regular honey can be used too)
- 1 lb Pasta (such as rotini, orzo, or ditalini)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 400°F to prepare it for roasting the butternut squash and feta.
- Toss and Arrange Squash and Feta: In a baking dish, toss the butternut squash with olive oil, 2 hefty pinches of kosher salt, and fresh cracked black pepper. Place the block of feta in the center of the dish, drizzle it with olive oil, sprinkle with red pepper flakes and additional black pepper. Arrange squash evenly around the feta.
- Bake at 400°F: Bake the dish for 30 minutes, allowing the squash to soften and the feta to begin melting.
- Increase Heat and Brown Feta: Carefully move the butternut squash a bit to prevent burning on the bottom without touching the feta. Increase oven temperature to 450°F and bake for an additional 5–10 minutes until the feta is slightly golden and browned on top.
- Cook Pasta: While the feta and squash bake, boil 1 lb of pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain the pasta but reserve 2 cups of pasta cooking water for the sauce.
- Combine Ingredients in Baking Dish: Remove the baking dish from the oven. Immediately add the minced garlic, minced sage leaves, and hot honey to the feta and squash mixture. Stir to combine.
- Toss Pasta with Sauce: Add the cooked pasta and 1 cup of the reserved pasta water to the baking dish. Stir thoroughly to coat the pasta with the creamy feta and squash sauce.
- Adjust Sauce Consistency and Season: If the pasta seems dry, gradually add more reserved pasta water until the sauce is smoothly creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt, pepper, or hot honey as desired before serving.
Notes
- Use a sturdy baking dish to hold the squash and feta for even roasting.
- Red pepper flakes add a nice heat but can be omitted for a milder dish.
- Saving pasta water helps achieve the perfect sauce consistency by adding starch and moisture.
- Hot honey enhances the sweetness and adds a gentle spice balance to the savory feta and squash.
- Fresh sage adds a lovely herbal note; do not substitute with dried sage as the flavor will be less vibrant.
- This dish can be adapted with gluten-free pasta to make it gluten-free.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (about 1/4 of recipe)
- Calories: 550 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 65 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
