Rigatoni with Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprouts and Italian Sausage Recipe

Rigatoni with Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprouts and Italian Sausage Recipe

This Rigatoni with Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprouts and Italian Sausage Recipe is a light pasta dish without any red sauce. It combines the sweetness of the butternut squash with the salt of the Italian sausage for a perfect sweet and salty combination! This a great Fall time recipe.

This recipe is property of GreatChefRecipes.com

Ingredients:
12 oz. Brussels Sprouts, trimmed
Kosher Salt
12 oz. Rigatoni
3 tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
4 Spicy Italian Sausage links, cut into slices
4 cups diced and peeled butternut squash
2 cloves garlic, sliced
6 green onions, sliced
Fresh ground pepper
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Red Pepper flakes

Directions:
1. Tear off the outer leaves of the Brussels Sprouts, then chop off the bottom and cut in half. (Reserve some of the outer leaves and throw away the stem.)
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. (While you are waiting for the water boil start at step 6. Once the water boils, you can do steps 3-5.)
3. Add the pasta and cook following boxes instructions.
4. In the last 2-minutes add the Brussels Sprouts and their leaves to the cooking pasta.
5. Reserve 1.5 cups of the cooking water and then drain.
6. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
7. Add the sausage and cook (around 5-minutes.)
8. Remove the sausage and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to skillet with squash, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
9. Cook for around 1-minute (until squash is browned), add 1 cup of the cooking liquid from step-5, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
10. In a large bowl add the pasta, Brussels Sprouts, sausage and squash mixture. Toss with the green onions, cheese and use any cooking liquid to thin out the mixture, then top with a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Wine Pairings:
We preface all of our wine pairing suggestions by letting you know that it’s really a matter of personal taste. While we do offer our opinions and why we selected a specific varietal, there is no right or wrong answer when pairing a wine with your dinner.

Sangiovese
This Rigatoni with Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprouts and Italian Sausage Recipe is a nice light pasta with some bold flavors from the spicy Italian sausage. This dish pairs well with a light Italian Sangiovese. The Sangiovese has a nice dry cherry flavor which melds well with the salty and sweetness of the dish. Follow the link to our wine review site to find our favorite Sangiovese wines-LetsHaveWine.com

Have you tried this recipe? If so, leave us your comments below!