Get a cozy vegetarian fall dinner on the table in just 30 minutes with this creamy butternut squash pasta recipe! Full of fiber from the squash and made with NO cream at all, this is the ultimate healthy comfort food.
First, the butternut squash is roasted with onion on the stovetop, nicely spiced with nutmeg and sage. Then it is blended into the ultimate cheesy sauce, you can use either cream cheese or a soft goat cheese!
The ultimate homemade dish to serve your family on chilly autumn nights!
I always go a little pumpkin crazy during fall.
In fact, I go so pumpkin crazy that this year Brani completely refused to eat any.
I’m not trying to be funny here, but it hurt my personal feelings a little.
I thought I could cheat my way out of this and make him believe that winter squash isn’t actual pumpkin and it all would be fine.
Right. That plan didn’t work out so well.
Then my toddler started taking his side. “No pumpkin!”
That’s when I began to question myself if I maybe did overdo it this time.
But how can I not when there’s so little time to make (and eat!) all the pumpkin goodies?!
Pumpkin waffles. Pumpkin stuffed French toast. Butternut squash mac and cheese.
You see my dilemma, right?
But then I made this uber-creamy, luscious (yes, luscious) butternut squash pasta sauce.
It’s perfect to douse your favorite noodle shape in and then pretend you’re eating it in a big old country log home. With the fireplace rustling behind you and the sweet children praising your cooking skills while eating very mess-free.
Because my sweet child? Basically covered herself in this sauce from head to toe.
Why this creamy Butternut squash Pasta is a great choice:
It’s ready in a snap!
Ok, if you’re not experienced cutting up a Butternut squash, you might want to add 5 minutes to the prep time.
But I timed myself twice while making this recipe, and both times I was done in less than 30 minutes. Wahoo!
If you’re using frozen and defrosted chunks of squash, you can make this even faster! The perfect easy weeknight dinner.
The cooking technique makes for the best flavor without adding loads of calories
This is a technique I learned from my trained chef husband Brani, the trained chef.
Did I mention he’s a trained chef? 😉
What you’ll do is brown the onion and squash in a Dutch oven with the herbs and spices.
Then you’ll switch back the heat, cover the lid and gently roast the vegetables until tender and full of flavor.
I used to always boil water and cook the squash in it, then drain it. But the roasting method adds a ton of flavor at the cost of a tablespoon of oil!
There’s no cream!
You won’t even believe it when you taste how silky-smooth this sauce is.
It’s everything you want from butternut squash pasta: It’s creamy, it’s rich and it feels so cozy to eat.
Pure comfort food, right?
YES. But with a little twist: There’s no heavy cream at all in this.
In fact, the sauce is almost all vegetables, with a little bit of magic involved to make it so creamy.
And who doesn’t love secretly healthy decadence?!
Get the printable recipe for this creamy butternut squash pasta here:
Lighter Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta Recipe
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Ingredients
Equipment You Need For Cooking
- pot to cook the pasta in
- colander to drain the pasta
- medium Dutch oven
- wooden spoon
- measuring spoons
- immersion blender
Ingredients You Need
- 12 ounces pasta whole wheat if you prefer
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 small-medium butternut squash cut into chunks
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1.5 cups chicken stock
- 8 ounces creamy goat cheese or use any kind of cream cheese if you prefer
- 1 ounce parmesan shredded
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil a pot of water. Add salt and cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
- In the meantime, heat the oil in a medium Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and butternut squash and cook, stirring from time to time, until starting to brown. This will take around 4 minutes.
- Stir in the herbs and continue cooking for another minute. Add the lid, reduce the heat to low and roast until tender. This will take around 5-10 more minutes.
- Once the squash is cooked, pour the chicken stock into the Dutch oven. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute.
- Take the Dutch oven off the heat and cool for a couple of minutes. Very carefully blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Add both cheeses and blend until fully mixed in.
- Check for seasoning and serve with the cooked pasta.
