Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Tortellini

Some people get excited about the cooler weather aspect of fall but for me it's all about the food. I'm a huge fan of all things butternut squash and I especially love pairing it with pasta.

All of the ingredients I used were purchased from my local ALDI grocery store! I was super impressed with not only the value but also the variety and selection of groceries that they offer! I also love that in addition to visiting the store or doing curbside pick up, you can shop with ALDI on Instacart too - perfect for those super busy days. One of my favorite products I found and used in this recipe would be the Priano Three Cheese Tortellini because of how quick and easy it was to make - it only takes a minute or two after being tossed into boiling water and then it's ready to go.

This blog post is sponsored by ALDI.

There are a few factors that take this particular butternut squash pasta sauce to a whole new level of cozy. It's obvious that the butternut squash is roasted and pureed but I also roasted a handful of garlic cloves with the squash and coated the entire roasting party in extra virgin olive oil and Stonemill Ground Nutmeg. 

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This recipe makes enough for two large entrees or 3-4 small sides. Prep time is 10 minutes and cooking time is 45 minutes, so it takes about an hour total to complete!

What you need:

• 1 medium-sized butternut squash (should result in 2 very full cups of cubed butternut squash)
• 6-8 peeled garlic cloves
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Stonemill Ground Nutmeg (optional: more for garnishing)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup white wine - I used Winking Owl Pinot Grigio from ALDI (can sub in broth of choice if you can't consume wine)
• 1 package of Priano Three Cheese Tortellini 
• Optional garnishes: parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

What to do:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper so that it's ready to go by the time you're ready to roast.
2. Peel, de-seed and dice up a medium sized butternut squash. The cubes should be around 1" in size.
3. Put the cubes and garlic cloves into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle in the Stonemill Ground Nutmeg, salt and pepper. Next pour the olive oil over top and mix until everything is coated and distributed.
4. Transfer the veggies to the baking sheet and roast in the oven for 30 minutes. (I like to flip them half way through so that the bottom doesn't brown too much.)
5. You should be able to easily cut through the butternut squash cubes when the timer goes off. If not, roast for an additional 10 minutes and check them again.
6. Next, transfer the roasted butternut squash and garlic to a food processor or blender. Add the tomato paste, heavy whipping cream and white wine or broth.
7. Puree until smooth and transfer to a skillet or pan to simmer while you cook the tortellini.
8. Transfer the tortellini straight out of the boiling water into the sauce allowing some of the pasta water to come with it. This will help loosen the pasta sauce and give it an extra silky texture.
9. Once the tortellini have been coated in the sauce, divide up into bowls or plates and serve while it's hot!