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Creamy Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta: Best Easy Recipe

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This creamy roasted butternut squash pasta is a crowd-pleasing dish that converts even the most stubborn squash skeptics. The secret is in the roasting—deep, caramelized, almost sweet—blended into a velvety sauce that tastes indulgent but is surprisingly simple to make.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 medium butternut squash, about 2 to 2.5 pounds (peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 cup vegetable broth (low-sodium preferred)
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 12 ounces pasta (short, sturdy shapes like rigatoni, fusilli, or penne)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves
  • ¼ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (for frying sage and walnuts)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Peel the butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds, and cut into 1-inch cubes. Toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Add unpeeled garlic cloves. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping halfway, until tender and caramelized.
  2. Let the roasted squash cool for about 5 minutes. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins. Add the squash, roasted garlic, vegetable broth, heavy cream, nutritional yeast, and Parmesan to a blender. Blend on high until completely smooth, about 60 to 90 seconds. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
  3. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water before draining. Do not rinse the pasta.
  4. While the pasta cooks, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped walnuts and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and lightly toasted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and set aside. In the same skillet, add the sage leaves in a single layer. Cook for about 30 to 60 seconds per side until crispy. Remove and set aside on a paper towel.
  5. In the same pot used for pasta (or a large skillet), warm the butternut squash sauce over medium-low heat. Add the drained pasta and toss to coat. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of reserved pasta water until desired consistency. Stir in the butter until melted. Serve immediately, topped with crispy sage, toasted walnuts, and extra Parmesan.

Notes

The sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead. For a vegan version, use full-fat coconut milk instead of heavy cream, vegan butter, and extra nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan. For a nut-free version, substitute toasted pumpkin seeds for walnuts. Reserve more pasta water than you think you need to adjust sauce consistency.

Nutrition

Keywords: butternut squash pasta, creamy pasta, roasted butternut squash, easy pasta recipe, fall pasta, vegetarian pasta, make-ahead pasta

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