We also moved really close, almost stalker-y close, to a good friend of mine, someone I reconnected with recently as my daughter and her youngest son are pretty close in age. It’s been lovely to not have to full-on commute to our play dates, and one recent Saturday evening, she had us all over for dinner so that we could finally introduce the spouses and let the kids run free together for awhile. It was so nice.

So as thanks, I stole her recipe.

I’m cool like that. No no. I didn’t really steal her recipe.

Okay, maybe a little.

She made this wonderful tortellini with butternut squash –  an easy, vegetarian favorite of theirs that’s a regular in their dinner rotation – and it was so simple and scrumptious that I asked her if I could make a version of her recipe for the blog. It was cool with her, she said – besides, hers is a version of a recipe she found in Real Simple anyway.

Tortellini with Butternut Squash, Mushrooms, Gruyere and Optional Sausage comes together quickly and easily. The last time I made this, I had some cubed butternut squash in the freezer, so I didn’t even have to spend time peeling and cutting the butternut squash. That was handy. You can also often find cubed butternut squash in the frozen section or the refrigerated section of most grocery stores.

I like the idea of adding the butternut squash, mushrooms, and sage to a big zipper bag on Sunday and tossing it in the fridge to have it all ready for easy Monday or Tuesday night dinner prep.

I really like how this is one of those meal-in-one dishes, too. Serve up a bowl of this fall-inspired tortellini and that’s all you really need. Okay, okay, and maybe a glass of wine, too. And some good friends – especially those really awesome ones who let you steal their recipes – as company.

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Tortellini with Butternut Squash, Mushrooms, Gruyere, and Optional Sausage

This easy and cheesy (yet still relatively light) one-dish dinner is the perfect use for the winter squash that's so plentiful right now. Nutty Gruyere cheese complements roasted butternut squash, earthy mushrooms, and fresh tortellini. Make the meat-eaters happy with a little crumbled sweet Italian sausage in theirs.

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 4 cups diced butternut squash 1/2-inch dice (about a 1 1/2 pound squash)
• 8 ounces white button mushrooms sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh sage leaves chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Couple turns or a pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound fresh cheese-filled tortellini
• 2 1/2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese divided

If adding sausage to half:

• 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage browned and drained

If adding sausage to all:

• 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage browned and drained

Instructions

• Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
• In a large bowl, toss the butternut squash, mushrooms, and sage with the olive oil, salt, and pepper.
• Spread in a single layer on one or two rimmed baking sheets and bake, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes, until butternut squash is tender and some sides are golden brown.
• While the squash is baking, cook the tortellini according to package directions (save the water you used to cook the pasta, you'll need that in a minute!) and brown the sausage, if using.
• Add tortellini to a large pasta bowl or, if creating a vegetarian half and a meaty half, divide the tortellini between two medium bowls. Top with butternut squash (again divide evenly between the two bowls if making two versions) and top one half or all with sausage, if using.
• Sprinkle two cups of the Gruyere on top and add a couple of tablespoons of pasta water. Toss gently until cheese is melted and pasta is coated. You may need to add another tablespoon or two of the pasta water.
• Pass the remaining cheese at the table for sprinkling over individual servings.

Notes

For convenience, many stores carry already peeled and diced butternut squash in their refrigerated produce sections or with the frozen vegetables. Either will work, or if you start with a whole butternut squash, here are some tips on how to peel and cut it.

Adapted from Real Simple

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