Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce

Creamy, luscious, cosy butternut squash pasta with smokey garlic flavour is a perfect comforting dinner for fall or winters. It is vegetarian, easy to make and can easily be adapted to be vegan & gluten free.

The recipe shared here is fuss-free as you don’t need to go through the entire time consuming process of peeling and chopping the butternut squash. We simply halve it and then roast with garlic cloves, until the squash is fork tender.

The roasting process brings out the natural sweetness of butternut which is then blended with earthy -smokey garlic, lemon and herbs, resulting in a gorgeous pasta sauce which is so tasty & full of flavours. It’s a healthy make-ahead veggie pasta sauce and can be part of your rotational food menu.

If you roast butternut beforehand and store it in fridge, then making this sauce is barely a 15 min job. To make it more wholesome, you can include sautéed veggies or protein of your choice.

Butternut Squash– Also known as butternut pumpkin, this winter squash has elongated pear like shape & tastes sweet-nutty (almost like pumpkin). It can be used in variety of other recipes like salad, soup, stews & casseroles.

To make the pasta sauce, I have used 2 small whole butternut squashes & oven-roasted them after removing the seeds. If available, you can go for frozen pre-cut variety too.

Cream & Cheese– I have a habit of tasting the food while I am cooking and with this sauce, the addition of cream and parmesan instantly brings out the flavours. Till the time I had not added any fat in sauce, the spices and herbs were there but something felt missing. The moment I added cream everything came together, with the sauce becoming absolutely luscious and velvety.

Though I have not tried yet but I think cottage cheese should also work (like in this blended cottage cheese pasta sauce recipe). To make pasta dairy-free or vegan, use cashew cream and nutritional yeast. I would not suggest coconut milk as it makes the sauce too sweet.

Pasta– Use any short pasta variety like penne, farfalle, bow tie, fusiili or rigatoni or use any gluten-free pasta to make the recipe gluten free. To add protein, you can even opt for lentil or chickpea pasta.

Tomato Paste, Herbs & Spices– The tartness from tomatoes and lemon juice balances the sweetness of butternut squash. Some chilli flakes and freshly cracked black pepper adds heat to the sauce whereas herbs like rosemary and thyme adds earthy warm aroma.

Top up the pasta in the end with finely chopped parsley or a generous sprinkle of parmesan for a filling comforting & wholesome meal.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• Penne Pasta (uncooked) – 4 cups (13 oz / 370 g)
• Butternut squash – 2 lb (850 g)
• Onion (finely diced) – 1 small
• Garlic – 5 to 4 cloves
• Olive Oil – 1 tbsp
• Chilli Flakes – 1 tsp
• Tomato Paste – 2 tbsp
• Italian seasoning – 1/2 tsp
• Dried Thyme – 1/4 tsp
• Dried Rosemary – 1/4 tsp
• Lemon Juice – 1 tbsp
• Salt & Pepper – To taste
• Heavy Cream – 1/3 cup
• Parmesan (shredded) – 1/4 cup
• Parsley (chopped) – For garnishing

Notes:

1. The above recipe makes 4-5 servings. Use any pasta variety of choice.
2. To make it vegan, replace heavy cream with cashew cream (check tips at the end of post) and nutritional yeast, or vegan substitute for parmesan.

Directions:

Step 1:
Chop the ends of butternut squash. Carefully balance it vertically on a chopping board and cut in half using a sharp knife. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon.

Step 2:
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). By the time it is preheating, let’s move to next step.

Step 3:
Place halved squash on baking tray. Sprinkle salt, black pepper & brush olive oil all over it generously. Place 4-5 garlic cloves (with peels) on a piece of aluminium foil, drizzle some oil & salt over them. Wrap tightly.

Step 4:
Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 40-50 min till the squash becomes fork tender. Check with a skewer or knife. It should pierce all the way through without resistance.

Step 5:
Boil the pasta as per the packet instructions. Salt the water well before adding pasta and cook it al-dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta-water before straining.

Step 7:
Heat olive oil in a pan. Add diced onion and cook for 1-2 min. Add chilli flakes and cook for 20-30 sec while stirring.

Step 8:
Add tomato paste, Italian seasoning & dried herbs. Cook for 1-2 minutes while stirring to release their aroma.

Step 9:
Add blended butternut squash sauce along with salt, black pepper and lemon juice. Mix well. If required, add more pasta-water (or vegetable stock) to adjust the consistency. Simmer for 1-2 min.

Step 10:
Add cream, parmesan & mix until cream is completely incorporated. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. Add boiled pasta and mix gently.

Serve it hot. Garnish with chopped parsley or parmesan before serving.

Tips:

1. As roasted squash tastes slightly sweet, add lemon juice, smoked paprika, garlic powder or spices as desired to bring out the savory flavour.
2. To make cashew-cream, soak 10-12 cashews in hot water. Blend with 1/4 to 1/3 cup water till the mixture becomes smooth and creamy. Add water gradually as required.
3. Any leftover pasta can be stored in fridge in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Before reheating, add a splash of water or milk is the sauce seems too thick.
4. If you plan to freeze the sauce, do not add dairy to it (it stays good in an airtight container in freezer for upto a month). Add some vegetable stock or pasta water to loosen it up while reheating. Add cream / cheese later as shown in above step 10.
5. You can also add sautéed mushrooms, tofu, or boiled broccoli to this pasta to make it more nutritious.

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(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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