Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta

A Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta recipe perfect for any chilly day. Made with butternut squash, onions, garlic and your favourite gluten-free pasta, this pasta dinner is sure to please!

And who said a big plate of creamy, dreamy pasta couldn’t be healthy? It’s richly wonderful in a way where you think there is a ton of butter and heavy cream was involved – but there wasn’t! It’s pretty much like magic. And it’s packed with all the good things that come with eating your veggies.

This creamy butternut squash pasta is easy to make and can be served in less than 45 minutes, which when you are making your own creamy pasta sauce from scratch is definitely acceptable in my books. It’s vegetarian-friendly, completely gluten-free and leftovers taste just as good the next day too.

Dinner is served, friends.

This pasta reminds me of an Alfredo-style pasta. The ones that are just so rich and thick and oh-so luxurious. The kind that comes with a really hefty fettuccine noodle that you just can’t help but slurp into your mouth all at once and then want to literally lick your plate clean when you’re done… This pasta is sort of like that but without the food coma afterwards and without the calories. And definitely without the fat. And is actually kind of healthy. With penne noodles instead of the fettuccine noodles.

Plate licking is may still be involved, but that’s ok with me.

MORE ABOUT THIS CREAMY BUTTERNUT SQUASH PASTA RECIPE…

The base of this pasta sauce is the classic olive oil, onions and garlic. Be sure to chop your onions really fine and make sure the garlic is minced or grated super fine as well. It’s easier for the onions to be able to cook down and ‘melt’ into the squash when they are super fine and evenly chopped.

I used cubed butternut squash here – 1/2 a smallish squash cut into 1/2-inch cubes. The smaller the cubes – the faster the sauce will cook! You can always buy pre-cut squash from the grocery store to save a little bit of time (and possibly those fingers too if you aren’t overly confident with your knife skills).

The squash and onions are simmered in a little bit of stock (or try homemade vegetable stock) until tender and then mixed with a little bit of milk (you can use your favourite milk of choice – go for plain, unsweetened, unflavoured non-dairy options for a vegan option) and then blended until smooth and silky perfection in your food processor, blender or another smoothie-making device.

Then just toss your cooked pasta all around in the sauce and dinner is ready.

I like to serve this pasta with a little bit of fresh parsley and crumble goat or feta cheese on top. But you can leave the cheese off to keep the dish vegan if needed. This recipe makes about 2 cups of sauce and any leftover or unused sauce can be frozen until your next pasta night.

Creamy Butternut Squash Alfredo Pasta

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• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x

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Description

A rich and creamy Butternut Squash Pasta recipe perfect for any chilly day. Made with butternut squash, onions, garlic and your favourite gluten free pasta, this pasta dinner is sure to please!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 4 cups dry gluten free pasta of choice (1 cup per serving)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (or oil of choice)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 2–3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced or finely grated (about 1 teaspoon)
• 2 cups butternut squash cubes, about 1/2-inch cubes (about 1/2 a small-ish squash)
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste at the end
• Fresh ground pepper, to taste
• Pinch of nutmeg, optional but highly recommended
• 1 cup of vegetable stock (or use homemade stock)
• 1/2 cup milk (dairy or plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk of choice)
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce (I used Frank’s), optional but highly recommended
• Fresh chopped parsley, crumble goat or feta cheese, for serving (optional)

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Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. While water is boiling and pasta is cooking make the sauce.
2. In a large pot over medium-high heat, add the oil. Add the onions and garlic and cook stirring frequently until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the butternut squash cubes and stir to combine. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg (if using) and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the butternut squash cubes just start to soften around the edges and onions are very soft, about 5 more minutes.
4. Add the stock. Bring to a gentle boil and cook until squash is very tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in milk.
5. Add the butternut squash mixture to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Transfer the smooth pasta sauce back to the cooking pot and add the hot sauce and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Keep the sauce warm over low heat until the pasta is cooked and ready to be drained.
6. Add the pasta to sauce and toss to coat the noodles. Serve topped with fresh chopped parsley, a little cheese and freshly ground pepper.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes