Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta
A creamy, richly flavored butternut squash pasta recipe infused with roasted garlic and sage. Easy to make with simple vegan ingredients.
I know it’s fall when my CSA starts sending me butternut squash. I’m never mad about it because I am a huge fan of it and just like throwing it into different dishes as I see fit. Last year I kept making my Black Beans and Butternut Squash Stew so I could use it up fast whenever it appeared. And now, I can add this creamy Butternut Squash Pasta to the list as well.
This dish is infused with all the fall flavors including the savory sweet notes of the roasted butternut squash paired with roasted garlic, sage and thyme. It’s so wholesome and now makes me kind of excited to keep getting butternut squash in my box.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Butternut Squash: If you need to save some time, you can often times find peeled and cubed butternut squash in the produce section of your grocery store in the US. You can also replace this with kabocha squash or sweet potato. Just note, they may need to roast a little longer.
- Garlic Bulb: Yes, I’m using the whole bulb! I love garlic, but roasting it significantly mutes the sharp taste of it. This will also still taste great with 3-4 cloves, so use what you feel comfortable with.
- Unsweetened Plant Based Milk: You want to go for a neutral unsweetened plant based milk. I find that almond milk and oat milk work great, but I ended up using soy milk because it felt creamier.
- Sage: I think sage pairs perfectly with roasted squash, but if you can’t find it or don’t like the taste, you can also use fresh thyme in place of it.
- Sunflower Seeds: Make sure they are roasted. You can also use pre-soaked cashews as well.
- Your Favorite Pasta: I used orecchiette. I just love the shape and size so much. This would also work well with thick pasta shapes like rigatoni.
- Lemon Juice: Adds a lovely tang that I feel wakes up the sauce at the very end. Highly recommend.
How to Make the Pasta Sauce
Cut a small portion of the top of your garlic bulb to expose the garlic cloves inside. Drizzle the top of it with some olive oil and roast it up in the oven with your vegetables.
Prep your pasta according to the package, but make sure to reserve some pasta water. I like to reserve about 3/4 cup to help adjust the creaminess of the pasta sauce.
To a blender, add the reserved pasta water, milk, sunflower seeds, and then push out the garlic cloves carefully with your thumb to add them to the blender. Add your salt and your umami enhancer (bouillon cube, soy sauce or nutritional yeast), cover the lid and blend on high until smooth.
Drain your pasta, add it back to the pot and pour your sauce overtop then mix in your roasted veggies and sage, tossing to completely coat. Then serve.
Tips for Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta
- Make sure to reserve pasta water for your sauce. The starch in the pasta water does two things. It helps thicken the sauce and it also helps the sauce to stick to the pasta.
- If using soy milk for your plant milk, use shelf stable unsweetened soy milk. I have tried this recipe with the regular refrigerated cartons you see in store, and it has a slightly sweet taste, which I do not like. The cartons you find on the shelf for some reason don’t have that sweet taste.
- Cook your pasta in salted water. Your pasta will taste bland if you don’t salt your water. The salt will penetrate into the pasta as it cooks, which will enhance the overall flavor of the dish. For more tips on perfectly cooked pasta, I highly recommend the tips that Feel Good Foodie shares.
Frequently Asked Questions
To make this recipe gluten-free, just make sure to use gluten-free pasta. My favorite gluten-free pasta is Barilla’s lentil pasta, but you can use your favorite too. I tend to like bean based pastas because they also provide more protein per serving.
I used soy milk, and my biggest tip for using this type of milk is to use the shelf stable cartons instead of the refrigerated ones. It’s thicker and a littler creamier in my opinion. This also works well with almond milk and oat milk, just make sure they are unsweetened. Use soy or oat milk to make this truly nut free.
You can meal prep this pasta for the week. When your pasta cools off, place in individual airtight containers and keep refrigerated for up to 4-5 days. I would avoid freezing this dish.
What to Serve Your Vegan Butternut Squash Pasta With
This pasta can be enjoyed as is. I love a bowl of comforting pasta like this just on it’s own. But, if you would like to make it more filling you can stir in some cooked soy curls for more protein, roasted chickpeas, or even stir in some butter beans. All of these protein choices also provide a nice dose of iron too, which might be beneficial if you are concerned with your levels.
And while this dish is definitely a play on some sweet-savory flavors, I do like and recommend adjusting the saltiness to your preference. If you have access to some vegan parm, I think it is such a great addition on top of this pasta.
More Vegan Pasta Recipes to Try
- Cherry Tomato and Basil Pasta
- Vegan Pasta Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing
- Baked Hummus Pasta
- Baked Vegan Feta Pasta
- One Skillet Toasted Garlic and Chickpea Orzo
Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A creamy, richly flavored butternut squash pasta recipe infused with roasted garlic and sage. Easy to make with simple vegan ingredients.
Ingredients
- 2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into small 1/2 inch cubes
- 1/2 medium red onion, roughly chopped
- 1 small head of garlic
- 1–2 tbsp olive oil
- 10 fresh sage leaves, sliced
- 16 oz of pasta, I used orecchiette
- 1/2 tsp dry thyme
- Half a bouillon cube or 1 tbsp soy sauce or 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup roasted unsalted sunflower seeds
- 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk or shelf stable soy milk
- Salt and Pepper
- Juice of half a lemon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425F then line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the top of your garlic head off and then add your cubed butternut squash, onion, sage, and garlic bulb to the baking sheet. Drizzle your vegetables with your olive oil along with the sliced sage, a pinch of salt and pepper and toss to coat. Drizzle some of the olive oil on top of the cut garlic and then place the pan in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes or until the butternut squash is cooked through.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, generously salt and then cook your pasta according to the package and reserve 3/4 cup of pasta water for your sauce before draining the pasta and placing back in the pot.
- To a blender, add your sunflower seeds, thyme, the roasted garlic cloves removed from their skin, your bouillon cube milk, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. Now blend until completely smooth and if too thick, add the remaining 1/4 cup of pasta water and blend again.
- To the pot with the pasta, add your sauce and then the roasted vegetables and sage along with a squeeze of lemon juice. Give everything a big stir to combine and then adjust salt and pepper to your liking before serving.
Notes
Make sure to reserve pasta water for your sauce. The starch in the pasta water does two things. It helps thicken the sauce and it also helps the sauce to stick to the pasta.
If using soy milk for your plant milk, use shelf stable unsweetened soy milk. I have tried this recipe with the regular refrigerated cartons you see in store, and it has a slightly sweet taste, which I do not like. The cartons you find on the shelf for some reason don’t have that sweet taste.
Cook your pasta in salted water. Your pasta will taste bland if you don’t salt your water. The salt will penetrate into the pasta as it cooks, which will enhance the overall flavor of the dish.
I love garnishing this dish with extra vegan parmesan. It just gives this dish additional depth of flavor and pairs so well with the roasted squash.
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.
★ Catherine
Just made this and can’t wait to dig in! The house smells amazing from the roasted vegetables. It’s like fall in a bowl!
Thanks Shannon! I hope you and your family enjoyed it! 🙂
Yummy! Lots of flavor!
Awww thank you so much. So glad you think so. 🙂
This is probably one of the best pasta dishes I’ve had in a long time. I love how creamy this sauce gets even with the sunflower seeds!
Thank you so much Janice! 🙂