1 pkg {of four} Chicken Sausages {like sun-dried tomato & basil}
3 cups Orecchiette Pasta
1 Butternut Squash, cubed {about 2 cups}
1 tablespoon Dark Brown Sugar
4 ounces Walnuts, toasted (optional)
1 stick of Salted Butter (or less)
8 small Sage Leaves
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Slide a small baking sheet into your oven and preheat it to 375 degrees.
In a small dry pan, toast walnuts over medium heat until fragrant. Remove and set aside.
Peel and cube up two cups of butternut squash. In a bowl, toss the squash with olive oil, salt, pepper and dark brown sugar. {With oven mitts} remove pan, add the squash to the hot pan and place back into the oven for 20-25 minutes, stirring once during the cooking time. Remove once the squash is tender.
In a skillet; add a little olive oil and sear the chicken sausages over medium heat on all sides. Remove, slice and add back into the pan to crisp on all sides.
To a pot of {salted} boiling water; add in the three cups of orecchiette pasta. Cook as directed on package to al dente. Drain.
In a large bowl; combine the sausage, pasta and butternut squash.
Heat a 10 inch skillet on medium/ medium-high heat. Place the stick of cold butter into the hot pan, lift and swirl the butter. Add in the sage leaves and keep swirling until the butter has completely melted, should be a deep brown color.
Pour the brown butter sage sauce over pasta, toss and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle toasted walnuts over top and serve immediately!
