Butternut Squash, Spinach, & Sausage Penne

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Barilla® and Johnsonville®. The opinions and texts are all mine.

This easy fall dinner recipe is filled with Johnsonville mild Italian sausage, creamy butternut squash, spinach, ricotta cheese, and Barilla penne pasta to make a flavorful, inexpensive, and easy meal!

Soo….

I’m losing my mind over this dish and how full-blown fall it is (because, if you know anything about me, while my creative dessert game might be strong, my dinner game is full of re-runs).

Guys, it’s such a cute, fall dish! 🙌 I’m seriously so proud of myself, I could cry! Almost (despite the fact I’m gushing over a dinner dish like a proud mom, I promise I’m not that emotionally unstable 😉).

This dish was all sorts of comfort food and fall feelings, and I for one, am not ashamed to claim this my current fall fave. Nor am I ashamed to share with you that some variation of this will probably make an appearance on the dinner table about once a week until the end of the season.

I know I’m coming on a little strong in my love for this dish, but it really is that good.

All right, so what is it about this meal that makes it so special I gab about it like a teenage girl with a crush on the new cute boy in their English class?

Well, apart from the amazing taste of the dish, it’s a super simple and affordable meal. In fact, this whole meal, which can comfortably feed a family, cost less than $10. #winningatthatdinnerlife

A few of the key ingredients in this dish are:

1. Barilla Penne Pasta: Barilla Blue Box Pasta is a pantry staple in our house. It’s quick, easy, and has incredible flavor, and, it’s Italy’s #1 brand of pasta so you know it must be good!

2. Johnsonville Mild Italian Sausage: These sausage links are so incredibly tasty! We use ground turkey often in our cooking, but these sausage links were the perfect flavor swap for this dish. They’re so, so easy to cook up, full of protein, and added so much flavor to this dish!

3. Butternut Squash & Spinach: The butternut squash adds so much creaminess to the dish that it almost acts like a sauce, especially when paired with the spinach. Barilla and Johnsonville products can be found at your local Kroger retailer (along with all of the other ingredients used in this recipe).

Get ready to fall in love with this dinner!

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Butternut Squash, Spinach, & Sausage Penne

Prep Time

10 mins

 

This easy fall dinner recipe is filled with mild Italian sausage, creamy butternut squash, spinach, ricotta cheese, and penne pasta to make a flavorful, inexpensive, and easy meal!

Servings: 6 -8 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 1lb box Barilla Penne
• 1 19 oz package Johnsonville Mild Italian Sausage Links
• 1 10 oz package spinach leaves, frozen
• 1 12 oz package butternut squash, frozen
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• salt and pepper to taste I used about 1/2 tsp of each in the dish--you can use more or less depending upon your preference

Instructions

1. Cook Johnsonville Mild Italian Sausage according to the directions on the package. Once cooked, allow to cool about 4-5 minutes before slicing.
2. Bring a large pot filled with salted water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add in Barilla pasta, and cook until al dente, about 10-11 minutes (according to the package directions). Drain water from pasta.
3. In a large saute pan over med-low heat, mix pasta, chicken stock, salt, pepper, butternut squash, and spinach together. Allow to cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and add in ricotta cheese and sausage, stirring until combined. Allow to simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Serve immediately.
5. Enjoy!