Autumn Dinner with Sausage, Pasta, Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash

What can be better than combining two Autumn vegetables (roasted butternut squash and Brussels sprouts) together with sausage, pasta, and delicious garlic butter sauce to create a complete meal that doesn’t really need any side dishes? Because this recipe already has everything: protein, veggies, fiber, carbs, and pasta. This Autumn dinner will satisfy even the pickiest eaters because it’s simple and super flavorful! Take advantage of seasonal produce and use butternut squash and Brussels sprouts while they are in season. You can also use sweet potatoes instead of the winter squash year-round.

Why you’ll love it

• Perfect weeknight dinner. This Autumn dinner uses minimal ingredients as there are only 4 main ingredients (excluding olive oil, a small amount of butter, garlic, and seasonings): sausage (I used andouille), roasted Brussels sprouts, roasted butternut squash, and bow-tie pasta. No complicated sauces or unique ingredients here. Just easy, affordable, and accessible food.
• Perfect for meal prep. Prepare the veggies (including the roasting) up to 3 days in advance. Or make the whole recipe ahead, including pasta and sausage. Since there is no cream and no cheese involved, everything can be prepared in advance. The result is a colorful and vibrant dinner that you can easily make ahead or even freeze, and serve any day of the week to your family and friends.
• Holiday recipe. You can also make it for the Fall and Winter holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas). My other Fall-inspired dinner favorites include sausage stuffed butternut squash and creamy pumpkin gnocchi with spinach and sausage.

Main ingredients

• Pre-cooked smoked sausage. I used smoked sausage – andouille sausage. You can also use other cooked smoked sausage or cajun sausage.
• Butternut squash is an excellent source of vitamins A, B6, C, and E, as well as several minerals, including magnesium, manganese, and potassium. Butternut squash is also rich in dietary fiber. Its subtle sweet flavor works really well with the other savory ingredients.
• Brussels sprouts are cruciferous leaf vegetables that look like tiny cabbages. They are high in fiber and very nutritious. Brussels sprouts are a good source of vitamin K and vitamin C. They add crunch and lots of fiber to this Autumn dinner.
• Bow Tie Pasta. This recipe uses an Italian pasta, called Farfalle, or bow tie pasta. The bow-tie shape of this pasta works very well with the cubed butternut squash and Brussels sprouts. Cook bow-tie pasta al dente for the best texture.

Quick overview of the recipe

• I used cooked smoked sausage (Andouille) that I sliced into coins and seared to perfection in a cast-iron skillet!
• I roasted butternut squash and Brussels sprouts in the oven for a nice and crisp texture and then combined them with the sausage.
• Bow tie pasta completes this colorful meal together with the garlic butter sauce. This dish has quickly become one of my new favorite Autumn dinners!

The most important time-saving tip

This recipe requires a little bit more work than my usual recipes but you can make it really efficient. The most time-consuming part of the recipe is peeling, slicing, and roasting the butternut squash and the Brussels sprouts. Whenever you can, use pre-cubed butternut squash sold in some grocery stores in a produce section or in a frozen vegetable section. That will save you a ton of time! You can also roast the veggies in advance (up to 3 days in advance) if you like. This Autumn dinner is not a one-pan 30-minute dinner. You will be cooking both on the stovetop and in the oven. But the end result is so worth it!

Cooking tips

• Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. The parchment paper keeps roasted butternut squash nice and crispy. It also minimized the cleanup.
• Avoid overcrowding when roasting. When adding cubed butternut squash to the parchment-lined baking sheet, do not overcrowd the cubes. Keeping the cubes separate will ensure they get crispy and crunchy.
• Make it gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta.
• Serve it hot or cold? Serve this Autumn dinner hot, warm, or at room temperature (not refrigerator cold).

Storage and reheating tips

Because this recipe doesn’t have any cream or cheese it’s perfect to make ahead or for meal prep.  Storing and reheating it is a breeze, and you can make this 2 or 3 days in advance.

• Fridge.  You can store this dish in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
• Freezer.  This is a perfect meal to freeze.  Freeze it in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
• How to reheat.  You can reheat this in a microwave oven for 1 minute.  Or, you can heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil in a large skillet and reheat this over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  So easy!  There is no cream sauce to deal with!

  Ingredients

  Roasted Butternut Squash

  • 3 cups butternut squash peeled, seeded, cubed
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt and pepper

  Roasted Brussels sprouts

  • 12 oz Brussels sprouts
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt and pepper

  Pasta

  • 8 oz bow tie pasta

  Sausage

  • • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 12 oz cooked smoked sausage such as cajun sausage, andouille sausage, or smoked sausage
    • 5 cloves garlic minced
    • 2 tablespoons butter
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika to taste
    • fresh thyme to taste

  Instructions

  Roast Butternut Squash

  • Preheat oven to 400 F. Make sure the butternut squash is peeled, seeded, and cubed. Here is a very detailed recipe on how to peel, seed, cube, and roast butternut squash.
  • In a large bowl, toss cubed butternut squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
  • Spread the squash on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in one layer, without overcrowding.
  • Roast on the middle rack in the preheated oven at 400 F for about 15 to 20 minutes (maximum 30 minutes). Remove from oven. Depending on your oven and how thick the cubes are, your butternut squash can be done in 15 minutes – so be sure to check at that time.
  • You can roast Brussels sprouts on the same baking sheet (if large enough) and at the same time as butternut squash.

  Roast Brussels sprouts

  • Preheat oven to 400 F. Trim ends of Brussels sprouts and remove yellow leaves. Slice all Brussels sprouts in half.
  • In a medium bowl, toss Brussels sprouts with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
  • Spread the Brussels sprouts on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in one layer, without overcrowding.
  • Roast on the middle rack in the preheated oven at 400 F for 20 or 30 minutes. You can roast them at the same time you roast butternut squash. Remove from oven.

  Pasta

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions. Drain. Proceed with the rest of the recipe while the pasta cooks.

  Sausage

  • • While you roast the veggies and cook the pasta, proceed with the rest of the recipe.
    • Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, high-sided cast-iron skillet (or stainless steel) on medium heat. Slice cooked sausage into coins and add to the skillet.
    • Cook on medium heat in a cast-iron skillet for 5 minutes on one side, then flip over and cook for about 3 minutes on the other side. Remove the sausage from the skillet.
    • To the same, now empty, cast-iron skillet, add minced garlic. Cook on low-medium heat for about 1 or 2 minutes or until the garlic softens. Add butter. Add cooked pasta and coat thoroughly with the garlic butter sauce on low-medium heat. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika to taste.
    • Add roasted butternut squash, roasted Brussels sprouts, cooked sausage, and fresh snipped thyme to the skillet with pasta. Mix everything to coat the veggies with juices from the sausage and the garlic butter sauce. Season with more salt and pepper, and a small amount of smoked paprika (you don’t need to use much), if desired.

  • If you used a large skillet, everything should fit. If not, work in batches.