You guys all know I am a SUCKER for a creamy sausage pasta, and this one has brought a lot of joy to my life in recent weeks. It’s gooey and indulgent, but with some good old squash chucked in there for *health* reasons.
Serves 3-4 (depending on your hunger levels)
1 small butternut squash
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 sprigs of rosemary
6 good quality pork sausages
½ tsp chilli flakes
300ml chicken stock
200ml double cream
40g parmesan
a good grating of fresh nutmeg
250g rigatoni
125g mozzarella
salt, pepper and olive oil
Heat your oven to 190°C fan.
Peel your squash, then cut it into 2cm chunks and chuck these into a 22 x 22cm pyrex baking dish. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and a little salt, then roast for 35 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel and finely dice your onion and garlic. Finely chop your rosemary
Heat a saute pan over a medium-high heat, and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Squeeze in your sausage meat and discard the skins, and fry for 4 minutes, breaking the chunks up with a spoon. It should be cooked and caramelised by the end. Remove from the pan.
Add your onion to the same pan along with 2 tbsp olive oil, and cook for 15 minutes until softened and lightly caramelised.
Get the garlic, rosemary and chilli flakes into the pan, and cook out for 2 minutes. Add the squash and sausage meat to the pan, along with your chicken stock and double cream, and bring it up to a simmer. Cook for 3 minutes on a low heat.
Cook your rigatoni until al dente in boiling salted water, then tip it into your sauce. Give it a mix, then grate in 30g of your parmesan and lots of nutmeg. Tear your mozzarella into chunks and add this too, then give it all a mix and season it to taste with salt and pepper.
Heat your grill to high.
Pour the mixture back into your 20 x 20cm pyrex baking dish, grate over the remaining 10g of parmesan, then grill it for 5 minutes on a high heat, until the top is bubbly and golden.
Serve it up immediately!