Categories: Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 small butternut squash (about 2 pounds)
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for the baking sheet and serving
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces uncooked sweet or spicy Italian sausage (about 2 links), casings removed
- 2 (3-inch) sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 medium red onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
- 1 medium bunch flat-leaf kale (about 7 ounces), tough stems discarded and leaves coarsely chopped
- 1 pound dried rigatoni
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving
Directions
- Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. Lightly coat a large rimmed baking sheet with oil.
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Peel and seed the squash. Cut the flesh into 1/2-inch cubes. Measure out 3 cups cubed squash and transfer to the baking sheet; reserve the remainder for another use. Drizzle the squash with 2 tablespoons of the oil, season with the salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Spread into an even layer.
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Roast, stirring halfway through, until the squash is tender and tinged with brown, 25 to 30 minutes total. Keep warm in a turned-off oven with the oven door ajar.
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Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the sausage and rosemary and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon into bite-sized pieces, until the sausage is browned, about 6 minutes.
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Push the sausage and rosemary to one side of the skillet. Add the onion and garlic in the empty space and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring just the onion mixture occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir all the ingredients together and continue cooking to blend the flavors, about 3 minutes. Increase the heat to high, stir in the wine, and bring it to a boil. Remove and discard the rosemary sprigs. Stir in the kale and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook until the kale is just tender, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the squash and cover to keep warm.
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While the sausage mixture is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the rigatoni and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta well and return to the pot.
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Add the sausage mixture and Romano cheese to the rigatoni and mix well, adding enough of the reserved cooking water to make a light sauce. Spoon into individual bowls, top with a drizzle of oil, and serve, with additional Romano passed on the side.