Make this creamy butternut squash pasta sauce recipe with squash, cream, Parmesan, and a touch of turmeric. Easy, cozy, and great with any pasta shape.
I make this butternut squash sauce for pasta whenever I have a squash or pumpkin lying around and no big plan for dinner. It's one of those recipes that works every time: the squash softens and blends into a creamy butternut squash sauce, and it turns into the kind of bowl you keep going back to.
And the best part? My kids love this butternut squash pasta sauce, even though they're usually not sooo big on pumpkin or squash. Try more of their favorite pasta dishes, like the Cream Cheese Pasta or the Pasta and Chorizo Bake.
Prep Time:ย 15 minutes |ย Cook Time:ย 20 minutes |ย Ingredients:ย 9 + oil, salt & pepperย |ย Servings:ย 4 |ย Difficulty:ย Easy
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Recipe ingredients
Butternut squash: Peel it well - the skin is tough - and cut it into small cubes so it cooks quickly. If you don't have butternut, Hokkaido, or sugar pie pumpkin work just as well. Bonus: Hokkaido doesn't need peeling - check out Honey-Roasted Pumpkin, too.
- If you have more butternut than you need for this recipe, try this Roasted Pumpkin and Feta Pizza.
Heavy cream: You can replace it with coconut milk or another plant-based cream if you prefer.
Pasta: I usually make this with spaghetti, but honestly, anything works. Short shapes like fusilli or penne catch the sauce nicely, too.
Parmesan: Freshly grated Parmesan adds its usual magic. If you need the dish to stay vegetarian, use a vegetarian hard cheese instead.
Stock: Using a cube is perfectly fine. Chicken stock is also great.
See the recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make butternut squash sauce pasta?
Step #1: Prepare the ingredients: peel and chop the butternut squash, onion, and garlic. Start cooking the pasta.
Step #2: Sautรฉ them for 3-4 minutes until the onions and translucent and the squash is glossy. Add turmeric and then ยฝ of the parsley.
Step #3: Add stock and cream. Cook on high, uncovered, until the butternut cubes are soft.
Step #4: Blend the sauce with an immersion blender.
Step #5: Stir the Parmesan, remaining parsley, and salt and pepper to taste into the butternut squash pasta sauce.
Step #6: Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water. Use some of it to thin the sauce if necessary.
Store and reheat
Refrigerate leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Reheat gently on the stove and add a splash of milk or stock to loosen the sauce again.
Freeze only the butternut squash sauce (not the pasta) for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge and reheat slowly with a bit of extra liquid.
Tips
Blending the sauce: If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender or a food processor. Be careful when blending hot sauce - let the sauce cool for a few minutes, work in batches if needed, and hold the lid securely.
- A simple potato masher also works if you don't mind the butternut squash pasta sauce being a bit rustic.
Don't forget to save some pasta water - it's the easiest way to adjust the consistency of the butternut squash sauce.
Add the Parmesan at the end and off the heat so it melts in smoothly. Don't let the sauce simmer or boil after adding the cheese, or it can turn grainy.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, it reheats well. Just loosen it with a bit of liquid and cook the pasta just before serving.
No. You can leave it a little chunky or mash it lightly.
To make the dish vegetarian, use a vegetarian hard cheese, as traditional Parmesan is made with animal rennet. For a vegan version, replace the cream with a plant-based alternative or coconut milk, and use about 3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan.
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๐ Recipe
Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce Recipe
Equipment
- Large pot for cooking the pasta
- Large saucepan for making the sauce
- Immersion blender Note 1 Note 1
Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta spaghetti or any other type of pasta
- 1 lb butternut squash Note 2
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ยผ teaspoon turmeric
- 3 tablespoons parsley chopped, divided
- 1 cup vegetable stock or chicken stock, Note 3
- โ cup heavy cream Note 4
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan freshly grated, more to serve
- fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil while you chop the ingredients. Once the water boils, add salt generously and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Make the sauce while the pasta cooks.1 lb pasta
- Prepare the ingredients: Peel it carefully. Remove the seeds with a spoon and cut the squash into small cubes. Chop the onion, garlic cloves, and parsley.1 lb butternut squash + 1 medium onion + 2 garlic cloves
- Sautรฉ: Heat the olive oil in the pan. Add the onion, garlic, and butternut squash cubes, stir well, and cook until the onions are translucent and the pumpkin glossy, 3-4 minutes. Add turmeric and stir for 30 seconds. Add ยฝ of the parsley and stir to combine.2 tablespoons olive oil + vegetables + ยผ teaspoon turmeric + 1 ยฝ tablespoons of parsley
- Simmer butternut sauce: Stir in the stock and cream. Cook on high heat, uncovered, until the butternut cubes are soft (12-15 minutes, but check).1 cup vegetable stock + โ cup heavy cream
- Blend the sauce with an immersion blender
- Drain the pasta but reserve ยฝ cup of the pasta cooking water - you might need it to adjust the consistency of the sauce.
- Add Parmesan: Stir in remaining parsley and Parmesan, and add salt and pepper to taste.1 ยฝ tablespoons parsley + 2 tablespoons Parmesan + fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Adjust sauce consistency: If the sauce is too thick, add a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta cooking water.
Notes
- Blending the sauce: I prefer the immersion blender, but you can use a regular blender or, food processor instead. Be careful when blending hot sauce - work in batches and hold the lid securely. A potato masher works too, but the sauce will be a bit rustic.
- Replace butternut squash with a flavorful pumpkin like Hokkaido or sugar pie pumpkin. Hokkaido doesn't need peeling, but peel any other sort.
- Vegetable stock: Made from a cube is perfectly fine. Chicken stock works perfectly, too.
- Vegetarian option: Use vegetarian hard cheese if you would like this dish to be strictly vegetarian - Parmesan is not vegetarian as it is made with animal rennet.
- Vegan option: Replace the cream with coconut milk or other plant-based cream (soy, oat, or almond milk). Replace the cheese with nutritional yeast to taste - about 3 tablespoons.
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