Everyone loves this cozy butternut squash pasta! It’s covered in a creamy sauce blended with garlic, spices, and goat cheese. It’s simple to whip up and one of our favorite easy fall dinner ideas!
Why we love this recipe
Say hello to our new favorite way to eat squash: butternut squash pasta! Squash in pasta? This recipe is kind of like mac and cheese, but with a bit of this bright orange fall vegetable thrown in.
Puree that orange squash into a creamy sauce with garlic, spices, and goat cheese. It’s savory with a sweet undertone, ideal for covering chewy rigatoni pasta. Everyone in our house absolutely loves it! Add a quick veggie like a fall salad, sauteed broccoli or Brussels sprouts to make it a meal.
Ingredient notes for butternut squash pasta
The ingredients in this easy butternut squash pasta are simple. The squash carries a lot of flavor and color for the sauce itself! Here’s what’s in it:
- Butternut squash: The best here is an in season, ripe butternut squash. You can also substitute frozen, you just may need to add a bit more broth.
- Olive oil and vegetable broth: These are used for sauteing and simmering the squash.
- Garlic: Use only fresh garlic here; jarred garlic can taste acidic and bitter.
- Chili powder and nutmeg: These spices add complexity.
- Goat cheese (chevre): Fresh goat cheese adds a creamy body to the sauce: it’s the secret ingredient that adds big savory flavor!
The best way to cut butternut squash
Butternut squash can be stressful and time consuming to cut, but is worth it in the end for this pasta recipe! Here are the basic steps we use (or watch How to Cut Butternut Squash):
- Cut off the neck and peel it: Using a large chef’s knife, cut off the neck of the butternut squash right where it meets the base. Cut off the top, then use a serrated peeler to peel off the skin.
- Remove the seeds: Slice the base in half, and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds.
- Cut the neck into cubes: Cut a flat edge on the side of the neck, to use as a base. Cut the neck into roughly 1/4″ slices. Cut the slices into strips, then turn the strips and chop them crosswise to create cubes.
- Peel and cut the base into cubes: Peel the base. Slice off the end of the base and slice it into roughly 1/4″ slices. Then chop the slices crosswise to create cubes.
Tip: Use a squash peeler! It’s serrated, which makes it easier than a normal vegetable peeler. Here’s the serrated vegetable peeler we use.
Fresh vs frozen butternut squash
Want to shortcut the chopping for this butternut squash pasta? You can use frozen squash instead of fresh!
- Frozen squash saves 10 minutes in prep time. It makes this recipe a breeze, cooking up in about 30 minutes.
- You may need to add more broth to make the creamy sauce. The ability of the sauce to blend depends on the freshness of the squash and whether it’s fresh or frozen. So, add additional splashes of broth until the puree blends into a creamy sauce. Then add the goat cheese and blend again.
What to serve with butternut squash pasta
And that’s it: a creamy, healthy butternut squash pasta full of nutrients and a total crowd pleaser! Our son Larson is very into this one (he calls it “mac and cheese”). While we’re not the type of people to secretly hide vegetables, we enjoy that this gets him to eat his veggies.
To make it into a meal, here are a few easy side dishes that pair well with butternut squash pasta:
More butternut squash recipes
Alex and I are big squash fans! We used to skip it in favor of sweet potatoes because they were so much easier to prepare. But today, recipes like this butternut squash pasta often appear in our fall and winter repertoire. Here are a few more favorite butternut squash recipes:
Dietary notes
This butternut squash pasta recipe is vegetarian. For gluten-free, use gluten-free or legume pasta.
Description
Everyone will love this cozy butternut squash pasta! It’s covered in a creamy sauce blended with garlic, spices, and goat cheese.
- 1 pound rigatoni or penne pasta (or gluten-free pasta)
- 4 cups diced butternut squash (1 small) or frozen
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth, plus more for blending
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 ounces goat cheese
- Grated Parmesan cheese, for the garnish
- Finely chopped fresh Italian parsley, for the garnish
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta until it is al dente (start tasting a few minutes before the package recommends: you want it to be tender but still a little firm on the inside). When the pasta is done, drain it and return it to the pot.
- Peel and dice the butternut squash. Mince the garlic.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the butternut squash and saute 5 minutes. Add the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the broth, chili powder, nutmeg, red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Cover and bring it to a high simmer, bubbling constantly. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes until the squash is tender.
- Carefully transfer all the contents to a blender and blend until creamy, stopping and adding additional splashes broth as needed to come to a creamy texture (the exact amount will vary based on the freshness of the squash). Add the goat cheese and blend again until a creamy sauce forms.
- Stir the sauce into the pasta. Serve immediately, garnished with grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Last updated: August 2020