Delicious orecchiette pasta with a spicy chorizo sausage, spinach and roasted butternut squash in a creamy Parmesan sauce. This recipe is going to become your next favourite this autumn!
Serve this beautiful pasta with our Caprese Salad and quick Dutch Oven Bread.
Orecchiette Pasta
Shaped to resemble little ears orecchiette pasta is one of my favorites. I absolutely love its thicker texture as it stays al dente even on the following day. Orecchiette is perfect for leftovers!
Did you know that orecchiette was specifically designed to catch sauces like little scoops? It is also meant to be paired with vegetables sauces. And that is how I developed this recipe.
The little pasta scoops are loaded with roasted butternut squash, spinach and spicy chorizo sausage. I also coated it in a savoury Parmesan sauce.
This pasta dish is as hearty as it is delicious and truly a one pan dinner. If orecchiette is not available in your area, feel free to substitute with pasta shells aka conchiglie. They have a similar shape although the shells are slightly deeper and thinner.
The Sauce
The sauce in this pasta is extremely easy but nonetheless delicious. It takes its flavour from the paprika spiced chorizo sausage, good quality chicken stock and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
The sauce contains no cream but has a creamy texture due to the Parmesan cheese. It is great for people who are lactose intolerant like my son. Parmesan cheese is very low in lactose due to the ageing process it goes through.
Ingredients
Two stars of this incredible pasta dish are chorizo sausage and roasted butternut squash. It’s remarkable how well they play together!
The spiciness of the chorizo balances out the sweetness of the butternut squash perfectly. Roasting the squash adds a touch of caramelisation, which takes the flavour even further.
Orecchiette with chorizo sausage and roasted butternut squash is the dish inspired by the flavours and the colours of the autumn. It is beautiful and very satisfying to use ingredients that are in season.
What is your favourite way of cooking with butternut squash?
More Favourite Butternut Squash Recipes:
- Creamy Butternut Squash Gnocchi
- Butternut Squash Risotto with Sage and Goat Cheese
- Roasted Butternut Squash with Spiced Lentils, Feta and Pine Nuts
- Roasted Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 450g/1/2 butternut squash 3.5 cups cubed
- salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil divided
- 400g/1 lbs raw chorizo sausage 6 sausages
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 2 cubes/1/2 cup frozen spinach
- 1 lbs orecchiette pasta or pasta shells
- 350 ml/1 ¼ cups chicken stock
- 50 g/1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Peel, cut and deseed the butternut squash. Cut one half into 2 inch cubes and reserve the other half for another use. Toss the squash with salt and half of the olive oil. Roast in the preheated oven on a large and rimmed baking sheet for 40-45 minutes or until tender and golden.
- Approximately 15 minutes before the squash is done get the pasta boiling in a large pot of salted water. Remove the chorizo sausage from its casing and cook in a pan with the remaining olive oil, break it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon. When the sausage is cooked all the way through add the minced garlic and continue cooking for about 30 seconds.
- When the pasta is done, drain it. Nex add the defrosted spinach (or fresh spinach) to the pan with the chorizo sausage, orecchiette pasta, grated Parmesan cheese and chicken stock, toss together until the pasta is well coated. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- By this time your butternut squash should be done roasting. Take it out of the oven and stir gently into the pasta trying not to break it up too much. Serve with extra Parmesan cheese on top.
