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. 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.
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.
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!
