Butternut Squash Pasta

Butternut squash pasta is creamy, tasty, and so incredibly simple you can make it any day of the week with minimal effort.

We roast the squash in the oven for maximum flavor, blend it, and mix it with the pasta. Can it get any easier?

On this page:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Serving suggestions
• Storage
• Similar Recipes
• Recipe

Butternut squash

You can get a whole butternut squash, peel it, and chop it yourself. Or you can purchase pre-cut butternut squash to save some time.

You can substitute pumpkin for butternut squash.

Pasta

Any pasta shape works for this recipe. We used farfalle, but you can try rigatoni, fusilli, rotini, penne, and even long pasta shapes such as spaghetti and linguine.

To make the recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free pasta.

Garlic

We roast the garlic in the oven with the butternut squash so that it gets mellow and creamy. We recommend using fresh garlic, not garlic powder.

Olive oil

We recommend extra virgin olive oil if you have it; it's more stable at high temperatures and has a fruitier taste. We use it to roast the butternut squash.

Salt and pepper

We use sea salt or kosher salt to add taste and black pepper for the aroma. The butternut squash sauce can take quite a bit of black pepper; freshly ground is best.

Sage

Fresh sage leaves and orange veggies are best friends, and we use sage twice in this recipe. Once in the oven with the squash. Once to add it on top of the pasta.

Other fresh herbs you can use are fresh thyme or parsley. Parsley should be used raw.

Walnuts

Walnuts are optional. However, since this pasta is very light and creamy, we like to add a touch of crunch on top just before serving it.

To do that, we toast the walnuts in a tiny bit of oil, mixed with chopped sage, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt.

Sprinkle this walnut-sage crumble on top of the butternut squash pasta to boost the nutty, salty, earthy, and spicy flavor. It'll make your taste buds wanna dance.

Parmesan

Totally optional and we ended up not using it because this dish was delicious without it.

However, since this is a light sauce that leans on the sweet side, some people might like to add some parmesan cheese (or dairy-free cheese) to this recipe to add a more savory taste, fat, and protein.

Step 1: Roast the butternut squash

Preheat the oven to 430°F or 220°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Peel and seed the butternut squash, then cut it into 1-inch cubes.

Add it to the baking sheet with sage, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Toss well and bake for 30 minutes, until completely soft and slightly browned.

While the butternut squash roasts, toast chopped walnuts, chopped sage, a pinch of salt and red pepper flakes on a pan with a bit of olive oil for about 1 minute.

Transfer the nuts and sage to a paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Note: if you don't want to add walnuts on top of the pasta, you can ganish with a few leaves of sage.

Step 2: Make the sauce

Let roasted butternut squash cool down for 5 minutes, then add it to a blender (including roasted garlic and sage).

Blend until you get a smooth sauce with a consistency that is in between that of a soup and a puree. Add a splash of cooking pasta water if necessary.

Transfer the butternut squash pasta sauce into a dutch oven or large skillet.

This is when you'd add grated parmesan cheese if you like to balance out the sweet flavor of the squash.

Step 3: Toss in the pasta

Cook the pasta al dente in a large pot with salted boiling water. Reserve one cup of pasta water, drain the pasta and toss it in the sauce.

Stir for half a minute on medium heat. Add some reserved pasta water if necessary to reach your desired consistency.

Serve on a plate with freshly ground black pepper and a sprinkle of the walnut-sage crumble.

We like to serve this creamy butternut squash pasta recipe as a main meal with some veggies on the side. Our favorites are:

• Simple side salad with fresh leafy greens
• Crunchy kale chips with lemon and garlic
• Italian salad with oregano dressing
• Braised artichokes - Italian style on the stovetop with mint and lemon
• Steamed artichokes - tender, meaty, and creamy
• Cucumber and tomato salad for a lighter side dish
• Brussels sprout salad made with crunchy shaved brussels sprouts
• Roasted broccoli with lemon and garlic
• Roasted Brussels sprout with maple syrup
• Oven-baked veggie tray

Looking for other creamy-licious recipes? Check out our:

• Roasted red pepper pasta with roasted cauliflower
• Easy homemade sweet potato gnocchi with butter and sage (or creamy mushroom sauce)
• Roasted cauliflower salad with creamy tahini sauce dressing
• Green bean salad with creamy mustard dressing
• Italian eggplant parmigiana with creamy tomato sauce and melty cheese
• Delicious mushroom risotto
• Tofu curry served with rice
• Earthy and cozy lentil curry

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