This butternut squash pasta is healthy, comforting, and delicious! Roasted squash, sage, and thyme fill the creamy sauce with cozy autumn flavor.
The first time I made this butternut squash pasta sauce, Jack couldn’t stop talking about it for days. “That sauce!” he kept saying. “That sauce!” Of course, I teased him for it, but if I’m being totally honest, I was completely smitten with it too.
Looking at this butternut squash pasta, you might expect it to taste like mac and cheese. But don’t be fooled. The creamy sauce is rich and nutty, with bold autumn flavor from herbs like sage and thyme. Because it’s so flavorful and complex, this butternut squash pasta would make a show-stopping vegetarian main dish at a special occasion dinner (pasta for Thanksgiving, anyone?). Still, it’s really comforting and easy to make, so go ahead and enjoy it on regular old weeknights too.
Why You’ll Love This Butternut Squash Pasta Recipe
- No heavy cream required! Roasted, blended butternut squash and cashews create the sauce’s rich and creamy texture. It’s totally dairy-free, though Jack likes to top his bowl with a little Parmesan cheese.
- It tastes like fall. The combination of the sweet, caramelized squash with the woodsy sage and thyme fills this cozy pasta dish with fall flavor.
- It’s surprisingly easy to make. This butternut squash pasta recipe feels elevated, but it’s actually simple to make. Just roast the squash, blend up the sauce, cook the pasta, and toss it all together with a little pasta cooking water. So easy!
Butternut Squash Pasta Ingredients
If you love butternut squash, you’ll go crazy for this pasta sauce! In it, the squash is front and center, adding to the creamy texture and supplying sweet autumn flavor. You’ll need 1/2 small squash to make this recipe, enough to yield 1 cup cooked flesh. Chop up the other half and roast it, or save it for a salad or soup. In addition to the squash, gather these ingredients to make this recipe:
- Shallots and garlic – They roast along with the squash, becoming sweet, nutty, and tender. Yellow onion works well in place of the shallots if you don’t have any on hand.
- Cashews – My go-to ingredient for making sauces rich and creamy. Make sure to use raw, not roasted, cashews to give the sauce a neutral flavor. If you don’t have a high-speed blender, soak the cashews for 6 hours before making the sauce.
- Nutritional yeast – It adds umami flavor to this butternut squash pasta sauce.
- Balsamic vinegar – For tang.
- Sage and thyme – They add earthy autumn flavor to the creamy sauce. I love using fresh herbs here, but in a pinch, you can substitute 1 teaspoon each dried sage and dried thyme.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – For richness.
- And sea salt and fresh black pepper – To make all the flavors pop!
Last but not least, you’ll need some pasta! I like to serve this sauce over rotini, but you can use any pasta shape you like. I recommend a shape with lots of folds and creases to catch the delicious sauce.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce
This butternut squash pasta sauce is super easy to make! Here’s how I do it:
First, roast the veggies. Drizzle the squash with olive oil and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Then, place it cut-side-down on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Wrap the shallots and garlic in foil with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt, and add them to the baking sheet too. Roast for 30 minutes at 425°F, or until the squash is tender.
Then, blend the butternut squash sauce. Add 1 cup roasted butternut squash, the shallots, peeled garlic cloves, cashews, nutritional yeast, vinegar, herbs, salt, and pepper to a high-speed blender. Pour in some water and olive oil to get the blender moving, and blend to form a thick, creamy sauce.
Assembling the Pasta
Once the sauce is ready, the pasta comes together quickly:
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente. Before you drain the pasta, reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water.
Toss the pasta with the sauce and some of the reserved pasta water. Return the cooked pasta to the pot. Add the butternut squash sauce, plus 1/2 to 1 cup of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce and coat the pasta.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Add plenty of pasta water. The pasta water is the secret ingredient in this recipe. It loosens the sauce, giving it a silky, velvety texture instead of an overly thick one. It also adds starches that help the sauce coat the pasta. I often use a full cup when I make this recipe. Don’t forget to reserve some before you drain the pasta!
- Make it nut-free. Replace the cashews with 1/4 cup sunflower seeds or 1/2 cup ricotta cheese. You can also simply omit them for a lighter sauce.
- Get ahead. Roast the veggies up to 2 days ahead and store them in the fridge until you’re ready to make the pasta. If necessary, warm the sauce over low heat before serving.
What to Serve with Butternut Squash Pasta
Jack and I love this recipe with sautéed broccoli on the side. Make roasted broccoli if you prefer, or replace it with roasted cauliflower, roasted Brussels sprouts, or sautéed kale. A fall salad, like my Pear Salad, Caesar Salad, or Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad, would pair nicely with this recipe too.
If you like, round out the meal with crusty bread or homemade focaccia to wipe up any sauce that’s left at the bottom of your bowl. It’s so delicious that you won’t want one drop to go to waste!
More Butternut Squash Recipes to Try
If you love this pasta, try one of these delicious butternut squash recipes next:
- Butternut Squash Ravioli
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Butternut Squash Risotto
- Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta
Ingredients
- ½ small butternut squash, halved vertically and seeded
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 shallots, coarsely chopped (⅔ cup)
- 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- ¾ cup water
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 10 fresh sage leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus more for garnish
- 12 ounces rotini pasta
- Red pepper flakes, for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Drizzle the squash with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place cut side down on the baking sheet. Wrap the shallots and garlic cloves in foil with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and place on the baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes, or until the squash is soft.
- Measure 1 cup of the roasted squash flesh and transfer to a blender with the shallot, peeled garlic, water, cashews, olive oil, nutritional yeast, vinegar, sage, thyme, ¾ teaspoon salt, and several grinds of pepper. Blend until creamy.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions in a pot of salted boiling water. Reserve 1 cup of the hot pasta water.
- Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Stir in the sauce, adding ½ to 1 cup of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce and coat the pasta. Season with ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt. Top with freshly ground black pepper, a few thyme leaves, and red pepper flakes, if desired.
Yum this was delcious! I accidently forgot the pasta water….but came out great anyway. Added some apple cider vinegar for tang.
Hi Julia, so glad you loved it!
Fairly easy to make and absolutely delicious! I will 100% be making this on the regular!
Hi Katie, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Jeanine,
I finally got around to making this recipe its been an intention for a long while. I had a butternut squash in the fridge and needed to use it up.
Followed the recipe as described and it came out great. I gave it 4 vs 5 star simply because I found it a bit too heavy on the sage for my taste. I used 10 fresh as suggested but for me that was too much. I spent some time trying to neutralize the flavour. I added some maple syrup 1-2 tsp, I am Canadian after all 😉 I added the full cup of pasta water, I added a bit more salt and pepper. I even sprinkled some fresh parmesan on top before serving it. The only other thing I also thought is maybe I over blended it in the Vitamix came to mind?
Next time I would gradually add the sage leaves and taste as I go. Or try dry 1/4 tsp at a time.
I haven’t had a turkey dinner in over 35 yrs as a vegetarian, but memories of that is what came to mind while I ate it. Maybe I’ve just never liked sage, I have to say I can’t think of many recipes where I’ve ever used it.
Best
Lainey.
Ps – I did have the steamed broccoli side, and for the leftovers I plan to add some toasted Panko on top for some added texture.
Hi Lainey, I’m glad you enjoyed the pasta! It could be that your sage leaves were on the larger side—the size can of course vary. Like you said, next time I’d add the sage a little at a time until you find a balance you like. You can also skip it here if you prefer!
This is probably the best non-dairy pasta sauce I’ve ever had. We absolutely love this recipe and have added it as one of our staples. Can’t recommend it enough!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Delicious! I was worried it would turn out too sweet but the vinegar and sage help even it out (I also added a squeeze of lemon at the end t00). Made much more than I anticipated so freezing the leftover sauce- can’t wait to enjoy it again soon!!
Fantastic!
This recipe makes a delicious sauce! I used dried herbs but otherwise followed the recipe. It tastes even better the next day. I’m going to try replicating it using pumpkin next time, and just omitting/reducing other liquids.
Can you freeze the sauce?
Blend it with coconut milk in place of water for extra deliciousness!
Is the nutritional yeast a must? Just got back from grocery store and realized I missed that as something I needed to buy. Thanks!
You can skip it!
I really enjoyed this sauce, my husband was more neutral about it. I went to two stores and couldn’t find raw cashews, so I used tahini. I doubled the recipe so I could use the whole squash and it was plenty of sauce for a pound of pasta.
This was sinfully delicious and soooo easy to make. 11/10 would serve this again!
I’m so happy to hear!
Delicious! Loved the creaminess of this mac and cheese and the addition of the balsamic vinegar!! My new go to vegan Mac and Cheese!
My wife and I love this butternut squash recipe. It is the ultimate autumn comfort food. We are gluten-free, so we used buckwheat pasta and served it with broccoli. I highly recommend this recipe. Thank you for sharing 🙂
I’m so glad you’ve loved it!
I loved it. It’s so comforting!
This was amazing! I used gluten free fusilli and adorned with sauteed broccoli. The combo of the fresh hersb with nutritional yeast made it so unctuous! will def make again.
I’m so glad you loved it!
My husband and I loved it!
So good, nice to have a healthy and delicious Mac and cheese!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I just made this into a pasta bake with fresh mozzarella and chopped lacinato kale mixed in. I will let you know how it turns out!
We loved this and it was surprisingly easy to make. Just roast stuff, blend stuff and cook your pasta! A perfect fall dish.
Looking forward to making this one