Ham and Butternut Squash Spaghetti

Despite the rich and decadent mascarpone, the sauce for this spaghetti is actually pretty light; much of the sauce is chicken broth and squash.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 35 mins
• Total Time: 50 mins
• Calories: 808 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 ½ cups chicken broth
• 1 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 4 ounces smoked ham, thinly sliced
• 3 cups peeled, seeded, and diced butternut squash
• salt, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
• 14 ounces spaghetti
• finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Stir in ham and cook until the edges are slightly browned, about 3 minutes.

Step 2

Stir in garlic; cook until fragrant and edges are barely golden, about 1 minute.

Step 3

Pour chicken broth over ham and garlic; bring to a simmer. Stir in butternut squash, red pepper flakes, and salt. Cook until squash is tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in black pepper and reduce heat to low.

Step 4

Gently stir mascarpone cheese into squash mixture until completely incorporated. Stir in Italian parsley. Remove from heat and cover.

Step 5

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain and return to pot.

Step 6

Pour butternut-mascarpone sauce over spaghetti, stirring until combined. Sprinkle Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over spaghetti and serve.