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This delicious creamy and cheesy butternut squash pasta is a great meat free family weeknight meal. Simple to make, pasta is tossed in a roasted seasonal squash that’s turned into a sauce for a comforting meal everyone will love!
How to make the pasta recipe
- Place the butternut squash, onions and garlic on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season.
- Roast until golden brown and starting to caramelize.
- Transfer the roasted squash to a pan.
- Add the vegetable broth, milk and reserved pasta water.
- Blend until smooth.
- Add in the cooked pasta.
- Toss the pasta with the sauce and serve with grated parmesan and chopped parsley.
Tips for making butternut squash pasta
- Learn how to cut up butternut squash the best way into cubes. I created a tutorial for cutting up the squash to help break it down.
- Save on dishes by boiling butternut squash in a large pot instead of roasting it. Here’s a quick guide on cooking butternut squash with different methods. You can boil it with the garlic and onions and then blend it right in the pot and add the pasta on top. I prefer the taste of it roasted though.
- Roast the butternut squash as a whole sliced in half. This saves on time from peeling the skin and cutting into cubes. However roasting smaller pieces enhances the caramelization process and improves the flavor overall.
- Don’t toss the pasta water! Some of the cooking water for the pasta is stirred into the sauce. This helps to add flavor, and the starch in it helps to thicken the sauce and help it stick to the pasta. If you use tap water in its place, the sauce will be runnier.
- Cook the pasta in salted water. This helps to add flavor to the dish right from the beginning. Be sure to get all of my best tips for perfectly cooked pasta every single time!
Frequently asked questions
Once the pasta is mixed with the sauce, it’s best to serve the dish straight away, but you can get ahead with this dish.
You can roast the butternut squash 2 to 3 days ahead of time and keep it covered in the fridge. You can also make the sauce a couple of days ahead of time, then just heat it through before adding the cooked pasta.
If you do have leftovers, they will keep for up to 3 to 4 days in the fridge and can be reheated gently on the stovetop. You may want to add a little water when you reheat to loosen the sauce back up.
This butternut squash pasta is vegetarian, and you can easily make it vegan. Use a plant based milk instead of dairy, unsweetened almond, oat or soy would work well, and simply skip the cheese when you serve it.
I like to make this with a long pasta like spaghetti or linguini and the butternut squash sauce will cling to it. This, of course will work well with whatever pasta you have to hand, and simply use your favorite gluten-free pasta if you have an intolerance.
This butternut squash pasta is such a great family meal that is effortless to make and it’s so wonderfully creamy and comforting. It’s a great way of sneaking some veggies on to the plate without anyone knowing too!
This pasta is great by itself, or serve it up with a side of veggies like Green Beans with Almonds or Oven Roasted Carrots.
More pasta recipes:
- Baked Pasta with Ground Turkey
- Baked Feta Pasta
- One Pan Pasta
- Lemon Ricotta Pasta
- Arrabiata Pasta with Shrimp
- Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
- Pan Seared Scallops with Pasta
If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes
- 1 small onion quartered
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ cup vegetable broth
- ½ cup milk
- 1 pound spaghetti
- Grated parmesan cheese for serving
- Chopped parsley for serving.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment. Place the butternut squash, onions and garlic on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until squash is lightly caramelized and golden, about 30 minutes.
- While the butternut squash is roasting, cook the pasta in a pot of salted water according to package instructions until al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the cooking liquid.
- Transfer the roasted butternut squash to large saucepan. Add the vegetable broth, milk and pasta water, and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth.
- Add the cooked pasta to the butternut squash sauce and toss to combine. Serve warm with grated parmesan cheese and chopped parsley, if desired.
Notes
- Instead of vegetable broth, you can use more milk or more pasta water or a combination of the two.
- Instead of milk, you can use heavy cream for a more creamy consistency, unsweetened almond milk for a plant-based version or more vegetable broth for
- Instead of spaghetti, you can use any pasta of choice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Amazing kids friendly recipe on this blog!
Can I roast frozen squash in this recipe?
Thank you so much! Yes, you can.
Is this 606 calories PER SERVING?
Yes, that’s correct!
Sorry to say whatever I did turned out Terrible. Was more like a purée than a sauce and whatever you do, don’t use angel hair.
I’m sorry to hear that. The purée texture likely comes from butternut squash being the main ingredient. I find adding some of the cooking water from the pasta into the sauce, so the starch in it can help to thicken the sauce and help it stick to the pasta!