Butternut Squash Pasta

Why you will love this recipe?

Super simple, so easy to make, and ultra delicious vegetarian dish - a must try Butternut Squash Pasta Recipe for all you squash lovers out there! You will need only 30 minutes and a few pantry staples to make this warm fall dinner.

Sweet butternut squash, earthy crisp fried sage, lots of nutty garlic, sharp shallots and salty cheese, and you have yourself a divine pasta feast to enjoy. You'll relish the taste of fall in every bite!

This dreamy silky pasta sauce is rich, cheese-y and creamy without cream, milk and flour. Yes, you read it right! The flavor rich pasta sauce in this recipe is all about butternut squash, cheese and vegetable stock, and no roux. Now, isn't that a real healthy winter meal? A true winner, indeed!

This creamy Butternut Squash Pasta Recipe is:

• quick, easy, mild and so flavorful.
• loaded with flavor of both - a thick squash soup and cheesy pasta.
• an absolute tasty and fuss free one-pot dinner with less clean-up.
• kid's approved dish.
• a perfect weeknight winter meal for busy people.
• great for Thanksgiving, holidays or weekend brunch.
• customizable with your favorite veggies, nuts, meat protein and much more.

*Here's some more delicious for you to try:

• Roasted Butternut Squash
• Chicken Broccoli Pasta
• Butternut Squash Curry
• Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients

• Pasta: We used fusilli pasta for this recipe. You can use any kind of noodle (that holds the sauce well), like rotini, penne, spaghetti, farfalle, macaroni (elbow pasta), or rigatoni for this butternut pasta recipe.
• Butternut Squash: We make this pasta recipe using both, butternut squash puree and cubed veggie for the most delicious flavor and silky texture.
• Cheese: We used grated parmesan, sharp cheddar and feta cheese for a perfect savory, nutty and cheesy flavor.
• Butter: Unsalted butter gives rich base to the pasta making it extra delicious.
• Olive Oil: Use high quality olive oil for the best flavor.
• Sage: Crisp butter fried earthy sage with butternut in pasta is perfect to enhance the fall flavor.
• Shallots: We love the sharp flavor of shallots with a light bite. You can use yellow or white onion though.
• Garlic: The more it is, better will be the flavor giving the best pasta dish.
• Vegetable Stock: I used my flavorful homemade veggie stock for the recipe. Feel free to use store-bought low sodium vegetable stock or chicken stock( for deeper flavor) if you are a non-vegetarian.
• Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper: Season to taste.

How to make Butternut Squash Pasta?

Heat olive oil and butter in a large pot or a pan. Add sage leaves and fry over medium low heat until crisp. Remove the crisp leaves anf set it aside.

In the same pan, add minced garlic, chopped shallots, and cook for a minute or until garlic is fragrant and shallots turns soft.

Add butternut squash cubes and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Now, add butternut squash puree and mix, cook for few seconds. 

Add pasta along with vegetable stock (or chicken stock) and give a stir. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 10-12 minutes or until al dente. Stir every few minutes to prevent pasta from sticking at the bottom.

Stir in grated parmesan, and sharp cheddar. Turn off the heat. Note: The sauce will thicken as the pasta cools. If it is too thick, stir in little stock to get the right consistency, ours was just right so we didn't add any extra liquid.

Add-ins

This squash pasta is perfect as is. That said, you can customize your recipe with these add-ins as you like.

• For protein packed dinner - feel free to add leftover rotisserie chicken, sausages, shrimps, salmon or ground turkey or lean beef.
• Nuts - walnuts, pine nuts, cashew nuts for crunch.
• Vegetables - broccoli, peas, mushrooms, zucchini, asparagus, bell peppers, spinach, and cauliflower are simply great veggie add-ins for this recipe.
• For spicy kick - adding cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes works perfect for this pasta.
• For extra creamy pasta - add some creme fraiche, sour cream or cream cheese.

Serving Ideas

This squash pasta recipe is delicious with garlic butter sautéed broccolini, crispy roasted brussel sprouts, roasted asparagus or roasted cauliflower parmesan on the side. We love to serve this pasta with crisp sweet potato fries, corn cheese balls or garlic chicken cheese balls, they pair perfect together.

This pasta recipe would pair nicely with stunning fall salads like shaved brussel sprout salad, quinoa beet salad, pear salad or arugula salad and some crusty bread on the side for a lovely comforting meal.

Squash pasta would be great to serve with grilled or baked chicken, baked salmon or and even shrimps.

Storage

• To Store: You can store the leftover pasta in clean airtight container for up to 4 days.
• Freeze: Freeze this pasta (with out feta cheese) in an airtight freezer safe box for up to 2 months.
• To Reheat: Thaw the pasta in the refrigerator overnight, reheat in the skillet on stovetop over medium low heat. Use little milk or broth to thin down the consistency.