Creamy Butternut Squash, Cranberry & Goat Cheese Orzo

This Creamy Butternut Squash, Cranberry & Goat Cheese Orzo is my latest spinoff of the viral baked feta pasta from 2021! With a seasonal winter spin, this creamy pasta dish is loaded with roasted butternut squash, burst cranberries and silky goat cheese. After blending the sauce up and tossing it with orzo, you’ll have the coziest winter meal that’s perfect for weeknights, as meal prep or to bring to a holiday party!

The viral feta pasta really had a chokehold on all of us in 2021, but for good reason because it’s quite delicious. I recently remembered it’s existence and knew I had to put a 2023 spin on it! First, I made my butternut squash feta pasta recipe and since I got such great feedback on that, I developed this new one: Creamy Butternut Squash, Cranberry & Goat Cheese Orzo! Basically, I swapped out the feta for goat cheese this time and baked it along with butternut squash and fresh cranberries. I chose to toss it with orzo but any pasta will do! It’s the kind of meal that feels so comforting, you really just never want to stop eating it.

Why You’ll Love this Creamy Butternut Squash, Cranberry & Goat Cheese Orzo

• It’s a variation on the viral baked feta pasta from 2021!
• This recipe is perfect for those who like goat cheese more than feta.
• Anyone can make this recipe…it’s that easy!
• This Creamy Butternut Squash, Cranberry & Goat Cheese Orzo is a cozy winter dinner.
• The cranberries add a slight tang to this dish that really balances everything out!
• It uses seasonal winter produce like butternut squash and fresh cranberries.
• This recipe gives risotto vibes but way easier!

What You Need to Make this Creamy Butternut Squash, Cranberry & Goat Cheese Orzo

• Butternut Squash: The butternut squash will be roasted along with the cranberries and goat cheese until it’s super tender. When blended, it helps create an ultra creamy sauce! You can often find pre-peeled, pre-cut butternut squash at the grocery stores, which you’re welcome to use in this recipe but please cut down the pieces further if they’re really large.
• Fresh Cranberries: Just trust me! The addition of fresh cranberries gives this recipe a slightly sweet, acidic touch that really balances it out.
• Fresh Thyme: Remove the thyme leaves from the stems. If you’re in a pinch, this should work fine with some dried thyme, although I’m unsure of the exact amount.
• Garlic
• Olive Oil
• Salt + Pepper
• Goat Cheese: Grab a big log of plain goat cheese. They sell these at most grocery stores – I got mine at Trader Joe’s.
• Orzo: I like using this small pasta shape but really any pasta variety will work! Feel free to use a gluten free orzo like Jovial, or a gluten free & higher protein pasta from Banza.

How To Make this Creamy Butternut Squash, Cranberry & Goat Cheese Orzo

This recipe may seem intimidating but it’s actually quite the opposite! After the butternut squash is chopped up, you’ve pretty much done all the hard work lol. Just add everything to the baking dish, transfer to the oven and get other things done while it’s roasting. Once it’s done, throw it all in the blender, mix it with pasta and dinner is ready!

Add Everything to the Baking Dish:

First, start by adding the cubed butternut squash, fresh cranberries, minced garlic and thyme to a 9×13″ baking dish. Then, drizzle olive oil over top and season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss everything together (I just use my hands) until it’s coated. Then, make room in the middle of the baking dish. Add the log of goat cheese in the middle and transfer the baking dish to the oven at 400F for about 40 minutes. By the end of the cooking time, the butternut squash should be fork tender and the goat cheese should look very mushy and will have spread out in the pan a bit.

Cook the Orzo:

Although cooking time may vary slightly for each orzo brand, I recommend starting to boil the water for your orzo when there is 15 minutes left on the baking time of the butternut squash. Don’t forget to heavily salt your pasta water! Once boiling, add the orzo and cook until al-dente (amount 9-10 minutes for the Barilla kind that I used). Drain but make sure to reserve 1 cup of the pasta water for later.

Blend the Sauce:

This part is oddly satisfying! After you let the butternut squash, cranberry & goat cheese mixture cool for a few minutes, add it to a high speed blender along with 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. Blend until smooth, adding the remaining 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water if your sauce is looking too thick. You may also have success with using an immersion blender, but I haven’t tried that yet! I personally love my Vitamix for things like this because it’s really powerful.

Toss the Orzo in the Sauce:

Finally, add the butternut squash sauce back to the baking dish (or any dish) and toss in the cooked orzo. Stir until it’s coated. If you’re serving it with some more veggies or protein, feel free to toss it in now or serve it on the side.

What Should I Serve this With?

In my butternut squash feta pasta, I tossed in some cooked chicken sausage and wilted kale to make it a full, balanced meal. I really loved how it turned out and it made the recipe into more of a dinner than a side dish! However, this time I didn’t have as much on hand, so I just wilted down the leftover spinach and kale that I had in my fridge and called it good. I think this would be great served alongside nearly any protein, but especially chicken or air fried tofu for a vegetarian option. For veggie additions, consider shaved and sautéed brussels sprouts.

How Do the Leftovers Store?

Really well! The sauce thickens up a bit as it sits in the fridge and it tastes just as delicious cold as it does warm. With that said, this would be a great meal prep lunch option!

Find the full recipe below. As always, please let me know if you tried it by commenting below or tagging me on Instagram, @munchinwithmaddie_.

Looking for more Pasta Recipes?

• Butternut Squash Feta Pasta with Chicken Sausage & Kale
• Leftover Turkey Tuscan Orzo Skillet
• One Pot Creamy Chipotle Chicken Pasta
• Easy Dairy Free Ground Beef Stroganoff

5 from 3 votes

Creamy Butternut Squash, Cranberry & Goat Cheese Orzo

This Creamy Butternut Squash, Cranberry & Goat Cheese Orzo is my latest spinoff of the viral baked feta pasta from 2021! With a seasonal winter spin, this creamy pasta dish is loaded with roasted butternut squash, burst cranberries and silky goat cheese. It's the coziest winter meal that's perfect for weeknights, as meal prep or to bring to a holiday party!

Servings 6 people

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Equipment

• knife
• cutting board
• 9×13" baking dish
• high speed blender
• medium pot

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs butternut squash peeled, seeds removed & cut into small cubes*
• 1 heaping cup fresh cranberries
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 12 sprigs of thyme stems removed
• ¼ cup olive oil
• salt + pepper to taste
• 8 oz log of goat cheese
• 8 oz dry orzo **
• ½-1 cup reserved pasta water

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400F. Add butternut squash, cranberries, garlic and thyme to the baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt + pepper. Toss to coat everything.
• Make space in the middle of the baking dish and then add the log of goat cheese. Bake for 40 minutes or until the butternut squash is fork tender.
• At the end of the baking time, cook the orzo until al-dente, according to package directions. Make sure to reserve some of the excess pasta water!
• Let the butternut squash, cranberry and feta mixture cool for a few minutes, then add it to a high speed blender along with ½ cup of the reserved pasta water. Blend until smooth, adding the remaining ½ cup of the reserved pasta water if the sauce seems too thick.
• Add the sauce back to the baking dish along with the cooked orzo. Stir until coated in the sauce, and enjoy! ***For serving suggestions, see the Notes.

Notes

*NOTE: If your squash is in too large of pieces, it won’t get tender in time and this may lead to a grittier sauce.

**NOTE: If you want it less saucy, feel free to increase the amount of orzo to 10oz. If you’re gluten free, you can also try substituting a GF brand like Jovial. Any type of pasta shape will work fine here!

***NOTE: If you want to make this more of a full, well-rounded meal, you can add in some cooked chicken sausage (either chopped up links or ground chicken sausage) and some wilted greens such as kale and/or spinach. I would recommend up to 1lb of chicken sausage and 8oz of spinach or chopped kale.

Course: Dinner, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Keyword: Butternut Squash, Cranberries, Easy Dinner, Goat Cheese, Orzo, Pasta Sauce

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @munchinwithmaddie_ on Instagram and/or hashtag it #munchinwithmaddie.