For the pasta

1. Get a pot of salted water (it should taste like the ocean) boiling
2. When boiling, add your fettuccine noodles and cook according to box instructions. ***Reserve at least 1 1/2 cups of your pasta water before draining the noodles!!!***
3. Drain pasta in a colander and set aside until ready to add to your sauce

For the butternut squash sauce

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
2. Prep your squash, drizzle it with olive oil, and season it with salt and pepper. Lay it cut side down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes or until the cut side is very tender when pierced with a fork
3. After cooling for a little bit, scoop the flesh out of your butternut squash halves and puree in a food processor until very smooth
4. Add the puree to the same pan you browned your meatballs in (meatball instructions below) and stir in your mascarpone and parmesan cheese. Stir and cook until everything is melted together and smooth. Add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of your reserved pasta water to the sauce

For the meatballs

1. Mix all your meatball ingredients together in a bowl and roll into approximately 2 tablespoon sized balls
2. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet next to your stove in preparation to brown in batches
3. In a large skillet (a cast iron works great), heat some olive oil over medium to medium high heat. Brown your meatballs in batches (mine were done in 2 batches, but it’ll depend on the size of your pan), and place them back onto the baking sheet as they finish
4. When your butternut squash comes out of the oven, place your meatballs in the oven to finish cooking for about 13-15 minutes, or until the centers are cooked through

To assemble

1. Add the pasta to your sauce + another 1/2 cup of pasta water and stir until all the noodles are coated. Add more pasta water if you need to thin it out even more
2. Serve and top with meatballs!