Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta

Dairy-Free Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta is a healthy, comfort food dish that is perfect for the fall season and beyond.  Butternut squash is transformed into a decadent butternut squash sauce that is dairy-free that can also be used as a soup. 2 dishes for the price of 1.

This is my new favorite pasta dish of the butternut squash season. When I was testing the recipe I made it twice in 1 week and didn’t get sick of it. 

This Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta recipe is so light because it has no milk or heavy cream and it’s good for you. It is also gluten-free and vegan (if you leave out the Parmesan cheese garnish).

Butternut squash, onions and garlic are roasted with sage and nutmeg, blended with vegetable stock for even more flavor and what you get is a sweet creamy squash  purée. The sweetness of the squash pairs nicely with the earthy sage and the nutmeg just enhances all the flavors. You could say this dish is like butternut squash mac. It’s it’s so easy and it makes the BEST leftovers.

The Butternut Squash Sauce also makes Butternut Squash Soup

Now, as I’m making the sauce, it dawned on me that it  would also make a delicious soup. All you have to do is add more stock to thin it out and you get soup! You could even freeze the extra sauce for later use and turn it into a soup when you need it. Two recipes for the  price of one.

Blender or Food Processor

For this recipe, I prefer a high-speed blender as it makes the sauce nice and smooth. I was not able to achieve a smooth sauce with my food processor.

Use herbs to enhance the fall flavors

When I’m making any dish with butternut squash you will usually see me using delicious earthy sage and nutmeg because they are just classic fall flavors and the nutmeg really makes the squash even more butternutty (I think just invented a new word).

Which pasta is best for Butternut Squash Pasta?

The choice of pasta is important in this dish, just as I talked about in my mushroom, sage mac and cheese. When pasta is mixed with a heavy sauce you don’t want a flat pasta like bow ties or it will be weighed down and what you’re left with is a flat bowl of pasta. I chose a thick, robust rigatoni that wont collapse and can hold it’s shape under anything that it’s mixed with.

This dish makes the best leftovers

Place the leftovers in a well sealed container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Take it to work for a quick lunch and it’s also good at room temperature so you can take it on road trips.  Don’t forget the Parmesan cheese!

I have another delicious butternut squash recipe that would make an amazing holiday side dish that I made recently, Roasted Butternut Squash with Maple Pecans (see below).

I took entire halves of butternut squash and roasted it, topped with mouth watering maple syrup and pecans. Roasted butternut squash with maple pecans which makes a great side dish for any meal and would be especially perfect for Thanksgiving.