Jump to Recipe

When cozy Italian comfort food meets fall, you get Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta. A delicious sauce made with roasted butternut squash, onion, sage, and garlic—all made without milk or heavy cream.

A black bowl filled with butternut squash pasta

This is one of my favorite seasonal pasta dishes with double duty and one of my most popular recipes in butternut squash season. The creamy butternut squash pasta sauce can also be served as a soup. As we all know, fresh butternut squash is better roasted than boiled as it enhances the flavor and brings out the vegetable’s natural sweetness with a little nutty flavor.

Cubes of roasted butternut squash

I originally posted this creamy butternut squash pasta recipe in 2015. With a few minor text updates, t great recipe remains the same.

This Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta recipe is so light because it has no milk or heavy cream and it’s good for you. This dish can also be vegan (if you leave out the Parmesan cheese garnish).

A great way to enhance the earthy, fall flavors of the squash is with the addition of dried sage as the squash roasts. Dried sage is a better option over fresh sage, as the fresh could burn while roasting. Garlic cloves are also added to the oven towards the end of roasting so they also take on a sweeter, less raw flavor.

Just as in my cheese sauces (like in Baked Gnocchi with Sage and Cheese Sauce) and  béchamel  sauce for Lasagna, a little grating of nutmeg enhances the flavor like nothing else can that deepens the flavor. 


2 bowls of pasta mixed with creamy butternut squash puree

Best Pasta for Butternut Squash Pasta

Toss with any of your favorite al dente cooked pasta shape, this dish is like an elevated, autumn butternut squash mac (minus the cheese). I chose rigatoni pasta. Penne pasta, fusilli, gnocchi and even tortellini are all good pasta choices. 

The choice of pasta is important in this dish, just as I talked about in my Mushroom, Sage Mac and Cheese. When pasta is mixed with a heavy sauce you don’t want a flat pasta like bow ties or it will be weighed down and what you’re left with is a flat bowl of pasta.

Pouring butternut squash puree into a bowl

Turning Butternut Squash Sauce into Butternut Squash Soup

Once the veggies are roasted. they are blended with vegetable broth or stock (or chicken stock if you prefer, or even some of the starchy pasta water) using a blender, immersion blender or food processor until you get a smooth butternut squash purée. You can make the sauce as thick as you like, or thin it out to make a soup. It’s a 2 for 1 dish. 

Freezing Butternut Squash Sauce

This creamy pasta sauce freezes really well in an airtight container. Make a double batch and freeze more for later use. Simply defrost in the fridge and reheat in a pan.

Spicy Butternut Squash Sauce

If you would like to add a little kick to the sauce, a small sprinkling of red pepper flakes would be perfect. Add to your taste.

Leftover Pasta

Place the leftovers in a well sealed container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Take it to work for a quick lunch and it’s also good at room temperature so you can take it on road trips.  Don’t forget the Parmesan cheese!

Yield: 4

Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta

A closeup showing how creamy the sauce is all over the pasta

A delicious and creamy sauce made from butternut squash and sage that is dairy free and tossed with pasta.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 whole butternut squash, 2 pounds (566 grams) peeled and cut into cubes
  • 1 medium yellow onion (2 cups/293 grams) cut into large chunks
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon dried sage
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
  • 1 pounds (453 grams) pasta
  • ½ teaspoon fresh sage
  • 1 cup (236 ml) vegetable stock
  • Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C.
  2. Spread the butternut squash and onion in an even layer onto a large baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle the dried sage, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Toss with your hands to coat evenly, making sure they are in an even layer and not crowded or they will steam instead of roast.
  3. Roast for 20 minutes, then add the 2 garlic cloves to the pan. Roast for 10 more minutes until the butternut squash is tender when a fork is inserted. Remove the vegetables from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your pasta according to package directions.
  5. Add the cooled vegetables and garlic (peeled), sage and vegetable stock to a blender. Blend until smooth to a 'sauce-like' consistency. To turn the sauce into soup, add more stock in small amounts until the consistency of soup.
  6. Drain the cooked pasta and immediately toss with the sauce. Garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Notes

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 92Total Fat 5gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 3mgSodium 640mgCarbohydrates 11gFiber 2gSugar 3gProtein 3g

This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.

© Janette
Cuisine: Italian / Category: Dinner Ideas