Creamy and comforting Cheesy Butternut Squash Pasta. Gluten-free, vegan, and only requires 12 ingredients. Made with a cheesy butternut squash sauce, fried sage, and garnished with breadcrumbs and chopped green onions. This is a easy meal that can be made in 35 minutes.
One of the main ingredients in this recipe is Butternut Squash. It is one of my go-to ingredients to use in the fall. Although this ingredient is common during this time of year, it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I started really experimenting with it.
Butternut squash has a sweet yet nutty flavor. It has a light brown skin with a vibrate orange flesh. Even though it is most commonly cooked as a vegetable it is actually a fruit. Not only does butternut squash taste wonderful it also packs tons of nutrients and fiber.
When shopping for my butternut squash this time a year I always buy it fresh. It does take a little bit of time peeling the thick skin off the squash then cutting it into cubes. But I find it much cheaper to cut it myself this season then buying it precut. If you cannot find butternut squash this time of year near you check the frozen section.
TIPS WHEN MAKING THIS SAUCE
- Have all your ingredients prepped. This recipe is super quick to make so having your ingredients out and ready will make the cooking process quick, easy, and simple for you. This also includes boiling water and cooking your noodles.
- Depending on how big you cut your butternut squash will depend on how long it will take to cook your butternut squash. I recommend not cutting your squash bigger than 1 inch by 1 inch cubes.
- Heat a large pot on medium heat. Add your butternut squash, butter, and salt. If you do not have butter you can substitute it for olive oil. Cook the squash until it is fork tender.
- Transfer the squash to a blender. Add the dairy free milk and blend until smooth and creamy. It is very important that you use unsweetened dairy-free milk. The butternut squash is naturally sweet already so using sweetened milk will just make it to sweet.
Make this entire dish gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta.
I used orecchiette pasta for this recipe.
Here are some other great pasta substitutions.
Macaroni
Penne
Elbow
I LOVE a lot of sauce with my noodles.
I used a 16 oz box of pasta for this recipe. Though, for the amount of sauce that this recipe makes you can add an additional 8 oz of pasta to the pot of sauce without it absorbing too much of it.
SUBSTITUTIONS
I wanted to share some of the recipe ingredients that you can swap out in case you do not have the ones I listed in your pantry or refrigerator.
Butternut Squash – Frozen Butternut Squash
Minced Garlic- Garlic Powder
Dairy-Free Butter- Olive Oil
Fresh Sage – Dried Sage
Pasta- Gluten-Free Pasta
Vegetable Broth- Dairy-Free Milk
Ground Cayenne Pepper – Crushed Red Pepper
Want to add Garnishes?
I added homemade breadcrumbs and chopped green onion to the top of my pasta.
What you will need for the breadcrumbs
1 cup of panko breadcrumbs, gluten-free
2-3 Tbsp of dairy-free butter
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper, this is optional
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (204 C). To make the breadcrumbs combine one cup of panko breadcrumbs to a medium bowl. Melt the butter and drizzle it on the breadcrumbs. Add ¼ tsp of salt, pepper, and mix. Line a medium pan with foil or parchment paper. Add the breadcrumbs to the pan and spread them around evenly. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
This bowl of Cheesy Butternut Squash Pasta is:
Cheesy
Creamy
Comforting
Packed with Flavor
Kid Friendly
When you make these Cheesy Butternut Squash Pasta I would love it if you would snap a photo of your food and share it with me on instagram @itsallgoodvegan.com. I can’t wait to see how you like it!
Cheesy Butternut Squash Pasta
Creamy and comforting Cheesy Butternut Squash Pasta. Gluten-free, vegan, and only requires 10 ingredients.
Cheesy Butternut Squash Sauce
- 4 cups of butternut squash, cut into small cubes
- 3 Tbsp + 1 tsp dairy-free butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ½ cup unsweetened dairy-free milk
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped into fine pieces
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 2 cups dairy-free cheddar cheese, gluten-free.
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper, add more for a spicier pasta.
- 1 tsp onion powder
Pasta
- 16 ounces of pasta of your choice, cooked according to the back of the package, substitute for gluten-free pasta.
Garnish
- Breadcrumbs, gluten-free
- Green Onion, chopped
Directions
- Heat a large pot or dutch oven on medium-high heat. Combine 3 tablespoons of butter, salt, butternut squash, and cook until fork tender, stirring frequently.
- Transfer the butternut squash to a blender and add the milk. Blend until smooth.
- Add the 1 teaspoon of butter, garlic, shallot, and sage to the pot. Cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
- Turn the heat down to medium and combine the creamy butternut squash, vegetable broth, cheddar cheese, pepper, onion powder, and ground cayenne pepper to the pot and mix. Stir the sauce until the cheese has melted. Be careful the sauce does not burn.
- Add the cooked noodles to the pot and mix. Taste pasta and add additional seasoning (salt or pepper) if needed. Divide pasta into bowls. Garnish with breadcrumbs and chopped green onion.
- Leftovers will last 2-3 days in the fridge. The sauce will thicken up when cold. I recommend adding a little bit of vegetable broth to thin your sauce.
- Want to add plant-protein to this dish? I recommend adding chickpeas.
- Add any type of the vegetables to this noodle bowl.
- For a spicy noodle dish add 1/2 teaspoon of additional ground cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper to the sauce.
This looks comforting and delicious! I often make macaroni with butternut squash and nutritional yeast for the kids and they like it, especially if I add some steamed broccoli. The sage here sounds delicious!
What vegan cheese brand do you recommend?
For the cheddar cheese with violife or trader joes
I’ve made this TWICE in a week! Used real cheddar since we are not vegan, but it’s the perfect fall pasta!!❤️
So happy to hear Kara! Thank you for sharing this with me.