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.
Debi says
Wow! This comes out so creamy! I love it.
Niki says
I enjoyed the recipe very much, I didn't expect so few ingredients to make this flavour.
I would recommend adding come chopped walnuts or something similar - for the crunch. (or not overcooking the pasta like I did)
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Glad you enjoyed Niki!
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.