I love Butternut Squash Tortellini! There is something so fall and homey about it. This recipe has a simple browned butter sauce, toasty pecans, crispy sage leaves, and Parmesan cheese. Did I mention all the action happens in ONE pan in about 30 minutes? This easy weeknight dinner will be your new fall favorite!
How was your Thanksgiving yesterday? We had SO much fun eating turkey and doing nothing. That’s the best part of the holiday, right? Focusing on the food, the family, and the chill vibe.
Chill vibes like this 😂
Eric decided to spatchcock the turkey, which can get pretty intense?? I thought he was going to pull a muscle 😂 At least he hasn’t bought a deep fryer yet, I should count my blessings.
There were even more chill vibes, like how I told Edison (my 5-year-old) to put a collared shirt on for the meal. His inner-Hulk emerged and he slammed his hands down in a rage. Not realizing that he had just completely smashed our pan of half-risen Crescent Rolls, which were covered with a tea towel.
You should have seen his face when he saw the look on MY face. (Don’t worry, I have not murdered anyone this week)
Thanksgiving is always an exciting time around here because it is the biggest week of traffic here on The Food Charlatan! The top recipes that hundreds of thousands of people made this week were Dutch Apple Pie, regular Apple Pie, this easy Jiffy Corn Casserole, and my favorite Thanksgiving Stuffing.
Did you make anything from my blog? I’d love to hear what you enjoyed in a comment on the recipe you made! I read them all. It’s the best week of the year, hearing from so many of you. Thank you for all your support! 💕🤩
Tortellini and browned butter are best friends
I am soooo excited about this easy weeknight dinner you guys. Isn’t it so pretty? Buy up all the butternut squashes while you can still get them, and make this dinner while the getting’s good.
Let me tell you, cheesy pasta in browned butter sauce just WORKS, and I’m sure I don’t need a whole lot of explanation why. But, there are so many other things going on in this recipe that really elevate the whole dish from “noodles in butter” to a wow-factor, fall-flavored comfort meal. Let’s talk about it:
- browned butter sauce with all it’s nutty goodness, enhanced with some delicious soy and garlic for umami, as well lemon juice for some bright acidity to round it out
- cheeeese, we’ve got cheese inside the tortellini, and then Pecorino Romano on top as a garnish (or Parmesan if you already have it on hand)
- butternut squash is a quintessential fall vegetable, pan-seared for maximum flavor. You can sub any other hard winter squash, just watch the cook time. Tap here for a tutorial on how to chop it!
- butter toasted pecans and sage leaves make the best savory topping to add the perfect tasty crunch to each bite. You will LOVE it!
How to make it
This recipe is sooo easy. Here’s everything you need:
I like Rana brand tortellini. High quality! Click here for a tutorial on how to chop butternut squash. It’s not hard!
Start out toasting your pecans in a dry pan:
Let them get nice and fragrant! I like to let mine even get a few black marks on them. YUM.
Add in some butter and let it melt.
When it’s hot, add in a few sage leaves, with space between.
Let the sage get nice and crisp, then flip.
Remove to a paper towel lined plate. If you have never crisped sage before, now is the time. It elevates this dish SO much. I love these crispy, flavorful bites. So unique!
Now zest your lemon, if you would like to use it as a garnish later, and chop up some garlic.
Right before the butter has a chance to brown, add in the garlic and let cook as the butter browns.
Then add in some soy sauce for the best umami flavor umph. It’s so perfect for rounding out sauces, sauces that are not at all Asian in flavor even. Trust. Squeeze in some lemon:
Then pour the whole sauce mixture into a bowl and set aside. Add some oil to the same pan:
And add in the butternut squash and some spices. Mix it all up and spread it out in an even layer with no squash touching each other. Let cook for several minutes until it browns, then flip each piece using tongs. I know this is an annoying step, but the browned edges on the butternut are my FAV, and you won’t get them without a little TLC in this step.
Once the second side of the butternut has browned, stick a fork in. The squash will be almost-but-not-quite done. At this point, add in all that tortellini.
And add in some chicken broth too, or veggie broth is fine here if you want to keep it vegetarian.
Cover tightly with a lid and let it come to a boil. Do not remove the lid! We need all that steam to cook our tortellini and finish softening the butternut.
After a few minutes, the tortellini will be nice and soft. Cover and keep cooking (add more broth if you need to) until it’s as al dente as you like.
Once everything is cooked through, add the browned butter sauce back in.
Stir it all up, top with pecans, lemon zest, Parmesan, and crunchy sage leaves, and DEVOUR!
This is so good you guys!
Variations to try
This is a pretty versatile recipe if you’re comfortable in the kitchen and can figure out how to change cook times depending on the herbs and vegetables you use. Let me know if you try any of the versions below or any of your own creation!
- Use tarragon leaves in place of sage leaves (add as a garnish at the end, don’t fry), and replace the butternut squash with young peas, asparagus, or summer squash.
- Toast pine nuts and omit the sage, then add halved grape tomatoes and basil to the tortellini. You could even replace the Pecorino Romano with mini mozzarella balls.
- Toast slivered almonds and omit the sage, then cook carrots or bell pepper to replace the butternut squash and add chopped dill or parsley before serving.
What to serve with this tortellini
This is a delightfully hearty meal, (thank you, cheese and butter), so I like to keep the sides nice and light. Here are some great options!
- Green Salad with Feta and Beets (The Fanciest No-Chop Salad Ever) >> so easy you can make it in your sleep! Another great salad option would be my Food Charlatan House Salad with vinaigrette (coming soon!!)
- Lemon Asparagus with Pistachios >> nice, bright flavors and so easy
- Easy Roasted Broccoli Recipe >> both this and any my Roasted Cauliflower recipe are in heavy rotation at our house. My kids LOVE the broccoli in particular
- The Very Best Fruit Salad >> fruit salad goes with everything, and everyone loves it
How to store leftovers
Place cooked and cooled tortellini and butternut squash in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for no more than 4-5 days. The pecan and sage leaf topping will do best if stored separately so maintain it’s crunchiness. You can put it in a tupperware or ziplock bag and leave it on the counter for 3-4 days. Reheat individual servings in the microwave for 2-3 minutes at 50% power. You can reheat a large amount in a pan on the stove over medium low heat, stirring occasionally.
Can you freeze it?
Yes, of course. Keep in mind that the topping will not stay crunchy if frozen, especially if it has already been mixed into the pasta and squash. As long as you’re good with that, all you need to do is add the cooled pasta to a freezer ziplock bag or food prep conatiners, seal, and put in the freezer. It will stay good there for 3-4 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating. If frozen in individual glass containers for food prep, you can put it in the microwave for 4-5 minutes at 50% power, stirring once or twice during the cook time.
Cozy fall dinner favorites
Is it blustery where you are yet? There’s just something about a fall day that begs for a warm soup or casserole! Check out a few of my favorite fall dinners:
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Butternut Squash Tortellini with Browned Butter and Sage
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup butter, 1 stick
- 12 fresh sage leaves
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, from half a lemon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, for the butternut squash
- 1 pound butternut squash, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 20 ounces cheese tortellini
- 3/4 cup chicken broth, or veggie broth!
- 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler
- crushed red pepper, to garnish, optional
- lemon zest, optional
Instructions
- Start by prepping all your ingredients! Roughly chop 1/2 cup pecans, smash and mince 3 cloves of garlic, and chop 1 pound of butternut squash into 1 inch cubes (or open your package of already cut squash). Here is a guide for how to chop butternut squash.
- Toast the 1/2 cup pecans in a dry 12-inch high sided skillet on medium heat for about 4-5 minutes, until they get toasty and fragrant. I like to toast until I start to see a few black marks, even. Remove to a plate.
- Add 1/2 cup butter to the warm pan, still using medium heat. When it's melted, add 12 fresh sage leaves in a single layer. Let them bubble and crisp for 30-60 seconds. Use tongs to flip each sage leaf to crisp the other side for about 30 seconds. Remove to a paper towel lined plate, but leave the butter in the pan.
- Brown the butter. Continue cooking the remaining butter in the pan over medium heat. After another 2-4 minutes or so, it will start to foam, forming a white layer of bubbles across the top. It is almost about to brown, but not quite there yet.
- At this point, add the 3 smashed and minced garlic cloves to the almost-browned butter and let cook for about 1 minute; the garlic should be fragrant, and there should be brown bits of butter swirling up when you stir.
- Remove from the heat and immediately add 1 tablespoon soy sauce and the juice from half a lemon. (about 2 tablespoons lemon juice) Stir together.
- Pour the butter sauce into a bowl and set aside. Put the pan back on the burner, still set to medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan and let it get hot.
- Add in 1 pound of 1 inch cubed butternut squash on the pan and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder, and 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper over the squash. Stir to coat all the pieces.
- Spread out the squash cubes so they aren't touching. Now settle in for the wait. Do not stir. Cook the squash on medium heat, uncovered, for 5-7 minutes, until each piece is browned on the bottom.
- Once browned, carefully flip each squash. I did this individually with tongs, it doesn't take too long. I know it's tempting to just get a spoon and stir, but you really want to take a minute to flip, so that we can brown the other side evenly. Cook the other side of the squash over medium heat for an additional 6 minutes, adding in a bit more oil if the pan gets dry.
- At this point, the butternut squash will be starting to soften, but still not quite tender (you can stick a fork in it but not easily)
- Add 20 ounces cheese tortellini.
- Add 3/4 cup chicken broth* and stir. Cover tightly with a lid, and cook on medium heat for about 5-6 mins, until both the tortellini and butternut squash are soft and tender.
- Take the lid off, and continue cooking over medium heat until the liquid is mostly evaporated.
- Add all the butter sauce and stir to coat.
- Divide onto 5 plates.
- Garnish each serving with crispy sage leaves and the toasted pecans. Use a vegetable peeler to shave strips of Pecorino Romano** cheese onto each serving. Add a sprinkle of crushed red pepper and lemon zest, if you want. Devour!
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If there are extra sage leaves, store them separately in the fridge on a paper towel. Reheat the tortellini in the microwave at 50% power til heated through, or in a large pan on the stove over medium low heat, stirring occasionally.
- Make ahead: You can make this up to 24 hours ahead. Prepare everything as directed, but do not top the tortellini with garnishes. Instead, follow the storing and reheating instructions above. Once warm, add the garnish and serve.
