You see all that glorious creaminess down there in that pasta picture? ↓ That creaminess comes from butternut squash. That's it. No cashews, no plant-based milk, no thickened sauces, nadda. That's all vegetable down there just being it's amazingly impressive self. I'm still blown away by how gorgeously creamy this vegan butternut squash pasta is, yet SO simple and easy to make.
The sauce is made from onions, garlic, butternut squash, vegetable broth, salt and pepper. Now that may sound a little too simple and a little too plain, but trust me, this pasta is anything but plain. Then, to make this pasta seem fancy x 100, just fry up some fresh sage leaves in a little vegan butter (trust me on this, it's a must). Place them on top of each serving of vegan butternut squash pasta, and voila! Restaurant quality pasta, on your table in 30 minutes.
I can hear it now: "fried leaves? That's sooooo vegan."
Nah man, be prepared to get your dukes up, because everyone is going to be fighting over those crispy, salty, flavour-bursting sage leaves.
To make vegan butternut squash pasta: bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions.
In a large saucepan, melt the vegan butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes until the onion turns translucent and begins to brown. Add the butternut squash, vegetable broth, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook 10 - 15 minutes until the butternut squash is very tender when pierced with a fork.
Use an immersion blender or standing blender to blend the butternut squash mixture until it's completely smooth and creamy. If using a standing blender, be careful not to fill the blender too high so it doesn’t erupt. If your sauce is too thick, you can add another ¼ cup of vegetable broth.
Return the sauce the pan, and add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss well to coat.
To fry the sage: melt the vegan butter in a frying pan then add the sage leaves. Fry the sage leaves for 1 - 2 minutes until they stop sizzling so much, or the edges just start to brown, and they are crispy.
Remove from heat and set on a paper towel or a clean dish towel to drain. You may have to do this in batches. Serve the pasta with a few fried sage leaves on top of each portion. Trust me when I say, that everyone will be fighting over those crispy sage leaves!
Vegan Butternut Squash Pasta
Ingredients
For the vegan butternut squash pasta:
- 500 g pasta of choice (tagliatelle, fettuccine, linguini, etc.), gluten-free if preferred
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium butternut squash (950g) (7 cups) peeled, deseeded, and chopped into 2 inch cubes
- 1 ¼ - 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For the fried sage:
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1 bunch fresh sage leaves (about 20 leaves)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions.
- In a large saucepan, melt the vegan butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes until the onion turns translucent and begins to brown. Add the butternut squash, vegetable broth, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook 10 - 15 minutes until the butternut squash is very tender when pierced with a fork.
- Use an immersion blender or standing blender to blend the butternut squash mixture until it's completely smooth and creamy. If using a standing blender, be careful not to fill the blender too high so it doesn’t erupt. If your sauce is too thick, you can add another ¼ cup of vegetable broth. Return the sauce the pan, and add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss well to coat.
- To fry the sage: melt the vegan butter in a frying pan then add the sage leaves. Fry the sage leaves for 1 - 2 minutes until they stop sizzling so much, or the edges just start to brown, and they are crispy. Remove from heat and set on a paper towel or a clean dish towel to drain. You may have to do this in batches. Serve the pasta with a few fried sage leaves on top of each portion.
Nutrition
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
Jordan says
Unbelievably fantastic recipe. Will definitely be making it again soon. Huge hit with my non-vegan mother too. I couldn't believe how easy this recipe was and immediately sent it to a newly vegan friend, as it's such a good, easy, delicious recipe. The sage was a lovely addition, but I think it would still be amazing without it. Definitely adding this recipe into my go-tos.
Jenn Cohen says
Hi Sam, I was super excited to make this! I followed the recipe exactly and it was not very good. I'm not vegan, so I added some Parmesan to try to add some depth and flavor. I've made Butternut Squash Lasagna before which is insanely delish, so I thought this recipe could be a substitute since the Lasagna takes hours to make. I'm going to buy ricotta tomorrow to try to save the sauce. It looks much better in your photo than it tastes. Bummed.
Maroxa says
I have been told that tomatoes are nightshades and I shouldn't eat them, (arthritis etc...) so this will be a great substitute!
Lori says
Very creamy and a nice change from tomato sauce.
Sam Turnbull says
Glad you enjoyed!
Kathy says
Hi Sam! I am so new to eating Vegan as in I just started less than a week ago. I can totally relate to your story, it’s as if I wrote it! I actually made your peanut butter cups months ago before the switch to vegan. I LOVE those! Anyway, I was wondering which brand of pasta are you using in the recipe? They remind me of the yummy egg noodles we use to eat. Thanks so much and I look forward to trying more of your recipes!
Dawn says
This was yummy and easy to make.
Lynette says
Hi Sam 🙂 we are trying this out as we speak! I decided to roast the butternut squash and slightly caramelized my onions to complicate things for myself a bit (seeing as how we're all spending more time at home, I thought this would be a good use of that time!) Thanks for the recipe!!
Sam Turnbull says
You're welcome, Lynette 🙂
Adrienne says
I can't wait to try this disih ASAP! One question, though: how much (cups/grams) squash puree does the recipe require? I have last season's butternut puree in the freezer already and would like to know how much to thaw. Thanks for your help. Oh, by the way, I love your book and online recipes. They're my go-to, always!
Sam Turnbull says
I would weigh it as it should be roughly the same. Enjoy!
Adrienne says
Thanks, Sam. I know it'll be spectacular because, really, it's butternut AND pasta, right?
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, yep!
Kymberly says
Hi Sam,
Do you ever make recipes using plant-based items/noodles? We have tried zoodles and slicing cabbage (which wasn't bad with marinara sauce said my Italian hubby!) and they are ok, but...looking for something more like the consistency of pasta noodles.
Sam Turnbull says
Nah, it's not my thing. I love all sorts of whole grain pastas 🙂
Ivi says
WOW!!! Soooo, sooooo delicious!!! SUPER EASY! I didn’t have sage, skipped that, added a bit of smoky seasoning.
Sam Turnbull says
Glad you enjoyed!
Jasmine says
The pasta itself was delicious, but we did not like the fried sage leaves.
Sam Turnbull says
You can definitely omit them next time. Enjoy!
Diane says
Delicious!!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy you loved it 🙂
Margot says
My husband and I made this tonight and we loved it! So rich and creamy, yet plant based and healthy! We will definitely add this to our rotation and I’m looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome!! So very happy you enjoyed it so much, Margot 🙂
Rachel says
Made this for my family tonight and it was a big hit. Toddler approved!!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!!
Britt Feng says
Used some oregano instead of sage because I didnt have any, and afterwards I added some balsamic vinegar to my serving. SO GOOD!
I'm not vegan but I'm trying to eat less meat, this is a great edition. I imagine it would be good with some lentils and beans too.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed it, Britt!
D says
I have just recently found your website and recipes, thank you for so many great ideas. I have a quick question as to whether you could make the sauce and freeze it then put on pasta at a later stage for a quick and easy pre-prepared sauce? Would it hold up to the freezer or alternatively a few days in the fridge prior to using? Thanks
Sam Turnbull says
Welcome D! So happy you are enjoying my site. Yes this should freeze well! Enjoy 🙂
Mandy says
This was amaaaaazing! I used frozen cubed butternut squash and so this recipe came together SO quickly.
I didn’t have access to fresh sage leaves, so I added some freeze dried sage to the sauce. I also sprinkled some crushed red peppers on my bowl for an extra kick.
Thanks so much for the awesome recipe, I’ll be adding this to my rotation.
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome!!! So happy you loved it so much, Mandy 🙂
Lauren Colledge says
Sam...I am eating this right now as I type!! This is so delicious, so healthy and so vibrant. My boyfriend doesn’t like butternut squash but he’s happily getting through his bowl of this pasta! Haha! As always, another fabulous recipe. Thanks!!
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha! Love it! So happy you and your boyfriend are enjoying it so much, Lauren. 🙂
Miro says
This was so yummy! I halved the recipe and made with penne pasta. I didn’t have sage leaves, so I added about 1/8-1/4 t. of ground sage. Also a dash of cayenne pepper for a tiny amount of spice. I will definitely make this again!!! Thank you Sam! I love everything I’ve made from your cookbook too!!
Sam Turnbull says
That's wonderful! Thrilled you are enjoying all of my recipes so much, Miro 🙂
Flo CUFFAUT says
This sounds so darn good! Well all your recipes are awesome.. My daughter and I are big fans here in south of France!
Just a little question, what substitute would you recommend for sage as I couldn’t find any 🙁 could try with basil?
Thanks for your work
Flo
Sam Turnbull says
Thanks so much Flo! There is no direct substitute for sage as anything else will taste very different. The pasta is delicious without the sage, or you could try frying basil for a completely different flavour experience. Enjoy!
Flo says
Thanks lovely. I’ll try basil
Warm hugs from south of France
Brenda says
SUPER delicious recipe!!
For users who have an Instant Pot, here's how I used that to make this, primarily to save peeling and dicing the squash. To me, there's nothing harder than trying to peel a butternut squash!!
I scrubbed the squash's exterior, cut it in half lengthwise, and removed the seeds and strings. Then I just cut each half into 3 pieces (it was a ginormously huge squash ... smaller ones I would just cut each half in half.
I quartered the onion, and threw the garlic cloves in whole. Skipped the sauteing. Cooked for 12 minutes at high pressure, and let it sit for 10 minutes, before releasing the remaining pressure.
Once the squash pieces were cool enough to handle, the skin easily slipped off.
Then I just pureed per Sam's directions.
The 1 1/4 cups of broth was just the right amount.
Thanks Sam, for another amazing recipe!! And those fried sage leaves ..... HEAVEN!!
Sam Turnbull says
Woohoo!!! Thrilled you enjoyed it, Brenda and thanks for the Instant pot tips!
Judy says
YUMMY! I made the butternut squash pasta tonight for dinner... didn't have the sage for the topping; never-the-less, it was ABSOLUTELY delicious!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed it, Judy!! 🙂