Butternut Squash Pasta is an easy pasta meal that the whole family can enjoy after a busy weekday. Enjoy the best fall produce with this creamy pasta dish featuring cashew cream, roasted butternut squash sauce, and sage.
Looking for something seasonal, nutritious, easy to make, and of course, delicious? This Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta has it all!
This year, we got more than 25 butternut squashes from our garden. I planted some seeds from a small piece I had sitting on the back of the fridge for days, and the result was loads of healthy butternut squash plants.
After harvesting them all and gifting our neighbors with some, we still got enough produce to prepare delicious recipes like this butternut squash risotto, butternut squash curry, or even a vegan mac and cheese! So, if you have any recipes that use whole butternut squash, send them our way!
This recipe is dairy-free and vegan and can be made gluten-free if gluten-free pasta is used. It's a toddler and kid-friendly dish as well, just using natural ingredients. Both our kids clean their plates every time we make butternut squash pasta.
Ingredients
Butternut Squash. Choose the size of the butternut squash depending on how many people you are cooking for. This year we had some huge squashes, so we use just a third or half, but if you get regular size butternut squashes, you can make four portions with one squash.
Cashews. We use soaked cashews in water to make our creamy sauce. Using cashews to make your cream sauce is a great plant-based alternative to regular heavy cream. The consistency and taste are very similar, so when cooking creamy pasta dishes, cashews are our top choice. You can use coconut milk, silken tofu, or oat cream instead of cashew cream.
Pasta. We used Radiatori pasta, but any type of large ridged pasta will work for this sauce.
Vegan Butter. To add some extra creaminess to the dish, we add vegan butter. This can be substituted with olive oil or margarine.
Fresh Sage. Sage and butternut squash were meant to be together. By the time our butternut squashes are ready to harvest, our large sage plant is at its best. The combination of these two ingredients is just fantastic. If you don't have fresh sage, you can use another fresh herb, such as thyme, oregano, basil, rosemary, or any dried herbs you may have.
Spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and black pepper are my three favorite spices for the season.
Onion and garlic.
Cooking Method
Following the packet instructions, cook the pasta in salted boiling water. Save some of the pasta water to add to the sauce later.
Cut the butternut squash in half, place it on a baking tray using parchment paper or a silicone mat, and bake for about 40 minutes at 200C.
Using a big pan for this recipe, we use a cast-iron pan, melt the vegan butter, and add finely chopped onion, crushed garlic, and finely chopped sage. When the onion starts to soften, add cinnamon, nutmeg, and black pepper.
Make the cashew cream by blending the soaked cashews with water or stock to create a smooth cream. Our tip here is to leave the cashews soaking overnight or soak them for at least 20 minutes in hot water to avoid a grainy texture.
When the butternut squash is roasted, leave it to cool for a few minutes, scoop the flesh out, and blend with 100 ml of water or stock until smooth. Add into the pan together with the onion, garlic, sage, and spices, and cook for about 2-3 minutes.
Add the cashew cream, keep cooking for a few minutes, and add some more water to adjust the consistency of the sauce. We highly recommend using pasta water to keep the sauce creamy.
Season with salt and pepper, add the cooked pasta, combine well, and serve with some yeast flakes, some garlic confit, marinated olives, crusty bread, or a fresh salad on the side.
Butternut Squash Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 oz pasta we use raddiatore pasta
- 1 butternut squash medium size
- 1,5 oz vegan butter
- 1 onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- A handful sage
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 5 oz cashews soaked
- 1 cup vegetable stock or water
Instructions
- Following the packet instructions, cook the pasta in boiling salted water. Save some of the pasta water (1 cup) to add into the sauce later.
- You can prepare the stock as we will use it in different steps. If you are using water, skip this part.
- Cut the butternut squash in half, place on a baking tray bake for about 40 minutes at 200C. Half-way, turn the butternut squash facing down and keep baking.
- Using a big pan, melt the vegan butter and add finely chopped onion, garlic paste and finely chopped sage. Once the onion has softened, add the cinnamon, nutmeg and black pepper.
- Make the cashew cream. Blend the soaked cashews with 150 ml of stock or water to create a smooth cream.
- When the butternut squash is roasted, leave it to cool a little bit, scoop the flesh out and blend with 100 ml of water or stock. Add into the pan and cook for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the cashew cream, keep cooking for a few minutes and add some of the pasta water to adjust the consistency of the sauce.
- Mix in the pasta with the sauce, season with salt and pepper, and serve.
Newsletter
Nutrition
To make this butternut squash pasta nut-free, substitute the cashew cream for coconut milk or silken tofu. Coconut milk is creamy and has a nutty flavor as well. We use it in many of our recipes, and it works really well when making this sauce, too. Also, silken tofu is the perfect alternative to cashews for a creamy sauce; our kids love this spinach pasta sauce made with silken tofu.
Yes, we've tried this recipe with pumpkin, and it works just as well. You may not need to add the amount of water that we use, so keep an eye on the consistency and add water as needed.
Absolutely! I've done it before, and it works just as well. Cut the butternut squash into small squares, set your air fryer to 400F (200C), and cook for about 25 minutes or until the butternut squash pieces are cooked through.
Serving suggestions
As I mentioned before, when our butternut squash is ready for harvesting our sage is too. For this butternut squash pasta, we like making some crispy sage to add some crunchiness to those first bites. To prepare the crispy sage, simply heat some oil in a pan, add the sage leaves, and fry for a few seconds until crispy. Place on a paper towel to remove the excess oil, and add some sea salt on top.
Another delicious addition to this fall dish is truffle oil. Drizzle some truffle oil on top of the pasta before serving. If you enjoy spicy food, add chili oil instead!
You can also shred some vegan cheese on top or sprinkle yeast flakes to add that cheesy flavor that makes any pasta dish so special. If you need to substitute this ingredient, we have some vegan alternatives for nutritional yeast that can help you.
A few times, we made a cheesy casserole pasta dish from our butternut squash pasta. Once the meal is ready, transfer to a casserole dish, add some vegan cheese, and using the grill mode of your oven, grill for a few minutes until the cheese is melted.
C.Marshall says
I can’t wait to try this recipe with my two favorite things, butternut squash and pasta!!
Laura says
We hope you love it as much as we do! Just had it for lunch today and everyone loved it!