Butternut Squash Tortellini with Browned Butter and Sage
I love Butternut Squash Tortellini! There is just 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!
Servings: 5
Calories: 699kcal
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.
Notes
*or 3/4 cup water and 3/4 teaspoon Roasted Chicken Better than Bouillon. You can use veggie broth if you like!
**you can use Parmesan Cheese if you prefer
Nutrition
Calories: 699kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 103mg | Potassium: 407mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 10259IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 337mg | Iron: 4mg
