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This comforting slow cooker pasta sauce combines sweet butternut squash, creamy white beans and rosemary in a rich tomato base. Stir through spinach at the end and serve with pasta for an easy, filling family dinner.

Recommended slow-cooker size: 3.5 litre
Cannellini beans → Butter beans or haricot beans
Use a drained and rinsed 400 g tin.
Parmesan → Mature Cheddar
Use finely grated Cheddar for a slightly stronger flavour.
Baby spinach → Frozen leaf spinach
Thaw and squeeze out excess water before adding.
Dried pasta → Wholewheat pasta or gluten-free pasta
Cook according to the packet instructions.
Contains milk if Parmesan or Cheddar is used, and contains gluten if served with standard wheat pasta. Use gluten-free pasta and a suitable dairy-free cheese alternative if required, checking packaging for allergen information.
Always check ingredient packaging and labels if you or someone you are cooking for has an allergy.
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Slow cooker
This comforting slow cooker pasta sauce combines sweet butternut squash, creamy white beans and rosemary in a rich tomato base. Stir through spinach at the end and serve with pasta for an easy, filling family dinner.

Slow-cooker size: 3.5 litre
Freezer friendly: Yes
Suitable for batch cooking
Cool the sauce promptly and refrigerate it in a covered container within two hours. Keep for up to 3 days. Store cooked pasta separately where possible. Freeze the sauce in portions for up to 3 months; cooked pasta is best made fresh. Defrost: Defrost frozen sauce overnight in the fridge. Reheat in a saucepan until piping hot throughout, adding a splash of water if necessary, and serve with freshly cooked pasta.
Reheat the sauce in a saucepan over a medium heat, stirring regularly, until piping hot throughout. Add a splash of water if it has thickened. Reheat only once and cook fresh pasta if possible.
Use leftover sauce as a filling for baked pasta, spoon it over jacket potatoes, or thin it with extra stock to make a quick squash and bean soup.
Contains milk if Parmesan or Cheddar is used, and contains gluten if served with standard wheat pasta. Use gluten-free pasta and a suitable dairy-free cheese alternative if required, checking packaging for allergen information.
Always check ingredient packaging and labels if you or someone you are cooking for has an allergy.
Food-focused notes and photographs from DadTheFoodie members.
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