Butternut Squash and Chicken Sausage Pasta

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place cubed butternut squash and chopped onion on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil until vegetables are well coated, but not drowning. Season butternut squash and onion mixture with salt and pepper to suit your taste. We used approximately 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.

Roast butternut squash and onions for 30-40 minutes. At about the 15 minute mark, stir squash and onions and turn the pan 180º. Then return it to the oven for the remaining time. Squash is done when largest pieces are fork tender. When finished, remove from oven and let veggies rest on the baking sheet.

While the squash and onions are in the oven, cook the sausage. Heat a pan on medium and add the water. Place sausage links in the pan. Cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes, turning the links occasionally. Remove the lid and cook uncovered for 5 minutes, continuing to turn the links. Remove the links from the pan and transfer to cutting board. Slice each link into coins and return sausage coins to pan.

Continue to cook sausage uncovered for approximately 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. If the pan seems dry, you may want to add a tablespoon of olive oil to prevent burning and sticking. The sausage is done when the internal temperature reaches at least 165°F. Turn off heat and let meat rest.

Approximately 20 minutes into your cooking time, bring 2.5-3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the pasta to the boiling water, return to a boil and cook according to package directions, stirring occasionally (it will take approximately 11-13 minutes depending on the texture you desire). Remove pasta from heat and drain well.

While the pasta is cooking, make the Parmesan cream sauce. Start by heating the half-and-half and butter in a small saucepan on medium. Stir continuously until the butter is melted. Remove sauce from heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese.

Now that all of the components are ready, transfer pasta to a large bowl. Add the sausage, cream sauce, roasted butternut squash and onions, and basil.

Mix together carefully. Serve topped with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.