A savory blend of butternut squash, spicy sausage, Swiss chard, and rigatoni in a velvety sauce.
# What You Need:
→ Vegetables & Sausage
01 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
02 - 3 cups peeled and diced butternut squash
03 - 1 small red onion, diced
04 - 12 ounces spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed and chopped
07 - 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
08 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
→ Pasta & Sauce
09 - 8 ounces rigatoni
10 - 1/4 cup crème fraîche
11 - 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
# How-To:
01 - Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add diced butternut squash and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and tender, about 6 to 7 minutes.
02 - Add diced red onion and sauté until softened, about 4 minutes. Incorporate spicy Italian sausage, breaking it apart with a spatula, and cook until browned, about 3 minutes.
03 - Stir in minced garlic, chopped Swiss chard, and red chili flakes. Cook until the chard wilts, approximately 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm over low heat.
04 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add rigatoni and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water then drain the pasta.
05 - Add drained rigatoni to the sausage and vegetable mixture. Pour in reserved pasta water, crème fraîche, and grated Parmesan. Stir well to coat pasta evenly in the creamy sauce, cooking an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning if needed.
06 - Serve immediately, garnished with extra Parmesan cheese.
