Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta with Sage Healthy + Vegan
Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta with Sage Healthy Vegan Skip to primary navigation Skip to main content Skip to primary sidebar Gathering Dreams Live your dream life doing what you loveMenu
Add the sauce to a pan and heat at a low temperature for about 5-7 minutes. Add half a cup to a cup of water to thin the sauce a bit until it reaches your preferred consistency. From the freezer:
Remove the sauce from the freezer the night before and let it thaw at room temperature. Then reheat in a pan at a low temperature, adding enough water to thin it to your desired consistency.
Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta with Sage Healthy Vegan
Updated: May 11, 2022 DF GF V VG This article may contain links from our partners. We may receive a small commission if you make a purchase through a link. Please read our disclosure and how we make money. This hearty and creamy butternut squash pasta topped with fragrant sage leaves is the perfect comfort dinner recipe to cook this fall. JUMP TO RECIPE Nothing screams fall more than a sweet and comforting butternut squash recipe. Add to that some soothing pasta, and you are not far from perfection! This butternut squash pasta recipe is silky, creamy, and delicious! It's one of my favorite recipes to make when the days start to get darker outside, and butternut squash is finally in season.FREE MEAL PLANNER
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Check your inbox to confirm your subscription to get your FREE pdf! I love this recipe for butternut squash pasta because it's rich, buttery, and luscious without the addition of any cheese or cream. All the silkiness comes straight from the butternut squash. And for more fall-inspired recipes check out this creamy mushroom pasta, Tuscan kale pesto pasta, or this comforting butternut squash and chickpea curry. And no matter what you do: do NOT skip the sage. The blend of butternut squash and sage is simply out of this world. Combining sage and pumpkin or butternut squash is typical in Italian recipes. You normally fry the sage in butter to release all its flavors before adding pasta. In my healthy version, I opted to fry the sage leaves in extra-virgin olive oil. You'll still get the incredible herbal fragrance through the butternut squash sauce, plus it's perfect for vegans and anyone on a dairy-free diet.Equipment
To make this recipe, you need a blender (or food processor), a frying pan, and a pot to cook your pasta and butternut squash.How do you cut butternut squash And how do you peel it
What's going to take longer than anything else in this recipe is to peel and chop your butternut squash. You can save time by buying pre-chopped squash or prepping your peeled and chopped squash ahead of time (I normally try to prep all my weekly veggies on Sunday evening). There are many schools of thought on how to cut butternut squash. After trying several methods, this is what works best for me: Using a large, sharp cook knife, cut off the top stem and bottom end of your squash on a cutting board. This will help you make the squash more stable and easier to peel later. Then cut the butternut squash in half, roughly where the cylindrical shape stops and the squash becomes rounder. Place the cylindrical bit on the flat end, and remove the skin using a knife. Peel straight down from the top to the bottom of the squash. You can also use a vegetable peeler. I alternate between these two methods, depending on how big my butternut squash is. I find the peeler works best for small butternut squashes. Cut in half the rounder bit and remove the seeds with a spoon or ice cream scoop. Use the same method as above to peel the two halves. Now you are ready to chop your butternut squash: slice the cylindrical part into rounds about one inch thick. Slice across and cut into cubes. Then chop into cubes the bottom half of the squash. And you are ready to prep the sauce!Ingredients You ll Need
To make the sauce, you will need: Yellow onion (or 4 small shallots)Fresh sage leavesExtra-virgin olive oilChopped butternut squashOat milk (or almond milk, soya milk, or vegetable broth)How to Make
Cook the butternut squash: Start by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil, and add the chopped butternut squash. Cook for about 8 minutes.Fry the sage leaves: In the meantime, add 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil to a pan. Once the oil is hot, add about 8 sage leaves. Let them crisp for about 10-15 seconds on each side and then remove them from the heat and place them on the side. We will use these to garnish the pasta at the end and give them extra flavor. Tips to fry sage leaves: Wash the sage leaves before frying them, but make absolutely sure they are dried throughout before you place them in the olive oil. You can use a clean kitchen towel to dry them completely.Add the leaves to the olive oil only when the oil is hot. A few seconds for each side is plenty. Make sure not to overcook them, or they will become brown and bitter. You still want them to be bright green. Once cooked, put them on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Fried sage leaves are incredibly crispy and aromatic. Once cooled, you can crumble them on the butternut squash pasta once it's served on individual plates for a kick of flavor. 3. Cook the onions: In the same pot, add the chopped onion and another 4-6 sage leaves, add a quarter cup of water and let the onion soften. Mix: Once the butternut squash is cooked (check one cube with a fork to make sure it's tender throughout), remove the squash from the water using a slotted spoon or mesh skimmer (yes, I used a spatula…because I am a minimalist and I don't have a mesh skimmer…you need to be inventive in the kitchen sometimes). Add the squash straight into the pan with the onions. Blend: Place the cooked butternut squash, onions, and sage into the blender or food processor. Add the oat milk a bit at a time, and season with salt and pepper. Depending on your squash, you might need to add a bit more milk to reach your desired consistency. Blend until smooth. Cook the pasta: While you are blending your butternut sauce, use the same water you used to cook the butternut squash to cook your pasta. I love to use whole-wheat pasta or chickpea pasta for a gluten-free version. Both options have more fiber and nutrients than your standard pasta. The butternut squash will absorb some of the water, so you might need to add some more. If you do, remember to season it with salt. Cook the pasta until al dente according to the package directions, stirring from time to time. By recycling the same water, you will infuse your pasta with some of the butternut squash flavors. Plus, it will save you time, as you don't have to wait for cool water to boil again. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining.Combine: Drain the pasta, then add back to the pan, add the butternut squash sauce, and if necessary, add a bit of the boiling water you saved to thin the sauce. Serve: Serve the pasta on individual plates, topped with freshly grated pepper, crumbled fried sage leaves, and vegan parmesan cheese (I love using a combination of shaved walnuts and nutritional yeast – but you can use parmesan or pecorino if you are not vegan). Tip to make walnuts look like parmesan? Use a cheese grater instead of a food processorHow to meal prep and store
I wouldn't meal prep the pasta, as it tends to get a bit soggy after a day or two in the fridge, especially with this type of sauce. But you can easily prep the butternut squash sauce ahead of time. Simply follow the instructions to prepare the butternut squash sauce, then let it cool slightly before storing it in airtight containers. You can then keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Or freeze it for up to 1-2 months in the refrigerator. By meal prepping the sauce, you can cut down your dinner time from 30 minutes to just 15 minutes (the time to cook your pasta noodles and toss them in the sauce). If you decide to meal prep the sauce ahead of time, use these tips to reheat it: From the fridge:Add the sauce to a pan and heat at a low temperature for about 5-7 minutes. Add half a cup to a cup of water to thin the sauce a bit until it reaches your preferred consistency. From the freezer:
Remove the sauce from the freezer the night before and let it thaw at room temperature. Then reheat in a pan at a low temperature, adding enough water to thin it to your desired consistency.