If Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta Bake isn’t comfort food, I don’t know what is. For me, a cheesy pasta dish just screams comfort food. Butternut squash purée, diced tomatoes, and heavy cream along with fresh herbs and veggies form the base of the sauce for this pasta bake. Add in some shredded chicken, spinach, and mozzarella cheese, and you have yourself one delicious plate of goodness.
Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta Bake is an easy weeknight dinner that also lends itself easily to meal prepping. The recipe makes eight servings, and can be frozen before or after baking. I often make dishes like this, and we eat half during the week, and I freeze the other half to have easy dinners for those busy nights.
MAKE CREAMY BUTTERNUT SQUASH PASTA BAKE:
Add a drizzle of oil to a large sauce pan, and sauté the onions and peppers until soft, about five to seven minutes. Add the garlic and sauté about two more minutes. Add the butternut squash purée, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, and oregano. Stir until well combined. Turn to low and simmer about ten minutes to combine the flavors. Add the whipping cream, and stir well until completely incorporated.
While making the sauce, cook the pasta according to the package directions. When cooked al dente, drain into a colander, and thoroughly rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
Add the shredded chicken, spinach, and mozzarella cheese to a large mixing bowl. Then add the cooked pasta and the sauce. Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Pour the pasta mixture into a large prepared baking dish. (I love my Cuisinart enameled cast iron roasting pan.) Top with the grated Parmesan cheese and cover the dish with foil.
Bake in a preheated 350ºF oven for about thirty minutes, or until heated through. Remove the foil, and bake an additional five to ten minutes until the Parmesan cheese is bubbly. Let stand about five minutes before serving.
I served this dish with a garden salad, but you could also toast up some crusty garlic bread.
RECIPE NOTES:
- Prep this dish, then bake the next evening for a quick weeknight meal.
- Yes, this dish freezes well. Simply bake, then freeze into your desired portion sizes.
- Omit the chicken, and add in additional veggies to make this a vegetarian dish.
- Keep this dish gluten-free using a pasta such as Banza Chickpea Penne Pasta.
- I love how easy my Cuisinart enameled cast iron roasting pan cleans up.
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Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta Bake
If Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta Bake isn’t comfort food, I don’t know what is. For me, a cheesy pasta dish just screams comfort food. Butternut squash purée, diced tomatoes, and heavy cream along with fresh herbs and veggies form the base of the sauce for this pasta bake. Add in some shredded chicken, spinach, and mozzarella cheese, and you have yourself one delicious plate of goodness.
Ingredients
- 15 ounces butternut squash puree
- 15 ounces diced tomatoes
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 8 ounces heavy cream, or whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 medium orange bell pepper, diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ¼ cup fresh basil, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, finely chopped
- 3 cups shredded chicken
- 4 cups fresh spinach, rough chopped
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated for topping
- 8 ounces penne pasta (I used Banza.)
Instructions
- Add a drizzle of oil to a large sauce pan, and sauté the onions and peppers until soft, about five to seven minutes. Add the garlic and sauté about two more minutes. Add the butternut squash purée, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, and oregano. Stir until well combined. Turn to low and simmer about ten minutes to combine the flavors. Add the whipping cream, and stir well until completely incorporated.
- While making the sauce, cook the pasta according to the package directions. When cooked al dente, drain into a colander, and thoroughly rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Add the shredded chicken, spinach, and mozzarella cheese to a large mixing bowl. Then add the cooked pasta and the sauce. Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Pour the pasta mixture into a large prepared baking dish. Top with the grated Parmesan cheese and cover the dish with foil.
- Bake in a preheated 350ºF oven for about thirty minutes, or until heated through. Remove the foil, and bake an additional five to ten minutes until the Parmesan cheese is bubbly. Let stand about five minutes before serving.
Notes
- Prep this dish, then bake the next evening for a quick weeknight meal.
- Yes, this dish freezes well. Simply bake, then freeze into your desired portion sizes.
- Omit the chicken, and add in additional veggies to make this a vegetarian dish.
Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 428Total Fat 25gSaturated Fat 13gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 101mgSodium 371mgCarbohydrates 28gFiber 5gSugar 9gProtein 25g
Note: Nutritional information is an approximation. Different brands and/or quantities will change the nutrition profile.
Cathy
This looks so good. Just wondering though if a coconut milk could be substituted for those wanting less dairy.
Inspired Fresh Life
I haven't tried it with coconut milk. I think it would work, but you would definitely get some of the coconut flavor in your sauce, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It would just be a different flavor profile. If I were to use an alternative mild product, I would probably use macadamia nut milk or oat milk. Both have a fairly creamy texture and fairly neutral flavor for cooking.