My dog, Cookie, and I have been visiting the vet three times a week lately. We don’t mind the excursion. The girls behind the desk are fun to be around and Cookie loves the attention. She has quickly become a staff favorite (of course!). It’s also a prime spot for people watching. I always feel like I’m experiencing that 101 Dalmations scene where all of the dogs match their owners, remember that one?
The manly men bring in their 80-pound manly-man breeds who shake their heads like lions. Eccentrically dressed older ladies wait with their dachshunds and shaggy little dogs. A beautiful, elegant blond woman picks up her equally elegant and blond mystery breed. The lady with a high-pitched voice and nervous laugh tells me about her rat terrier. I suppose Cookie and I match, too. I will shamelessly admit that we both have great hair, and it doesn’t hurt that I’m always dressed in black or gray.
During the more dull moments, I’ve spent a fair amount of time flipping through Instagram photos and glancing at the heart worm brochures on the side table. I grabbed the February issue of Bon Appetit before I left for our last appointment so I would have something to read while I waited. I’m glad I did, because I was reminded of the butternut squash carbonara that I had dog-eared earlier.
How to Make Vegan Butternut Squash Linguine
Bon Appetit’s recipe called for pancetta and chicken broth, but I knew I could easily make it vegetarian and amp up the flavor with spices. The cooking technique is what really caught my eye—basically, you make a butternut purée while you cook pasta, then marry the two together in a warm pan with the help of some starchy reserved pasta cooking water. Genius, right? It’s even easier to make than the béchamel that I made for my pumpkin fettuccine alfredo.
The best part is that the puréed squash is rich and luxuriously creamy without any cream at all. I also used whole grain pasta, which further prevented the steamroller after-effects of eating a giant bowl of creamy carbs. Make this before the weather warms up! If you’re in the market for more lightened-up, creamy pasta recipes, be sure to check out my cookbook.
Creamy (vegan!) Butternut Squash Linguine with Fried Sage
- Author:
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Italian
Spiced and creamy (yet cream-less) butternut squash sauce tossed with whole grain linguine. Top with fried sage for a healthy, comforting main dish. Serve with salad or roasted vegetables to further lighten up the meal. Recipe yields 4 large servings.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
- 2 pound butternut or kabocha squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into small ½-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed or chopped
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes (up to ¼ teaspoon for spicier pasta sauce)
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 12 ounces whole grain linguine or fettucine
- Optional additional garnishes: shaved Parmesan or Pecorino and/or smoked salt
Instructions
- Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the sage and toss to coat. Let the sage get crispy before transferring it to a small bowl. Sprinkle it lightly with salt and set the bowl aside.
- Add the squash, onion, garlic and red pepper flakes to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the squash is soft and the liquid is reduced by half, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente according to package directions, stirring occasionally. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining.
- Once the squash mixture is done cooking, remove it from the heat and let it cool slightly. Transfer the contents of the pan to a blender, but keep the skillet handy. Purée the mixture until smooth (beware of hot steam escaping from the top of the blender), then season with salt and pepper until the flavors sing.
- In the reserved skillet, combine the pasta, squash purée and ¼ cup cooking liquid. Cook over medium heat, tossing and adding more pasta cooking water as needed, until the sauce coats the pasta, about 2 minutes. Season with more salt and pepper if necessary.
- Serve the pasta in individual bowls topped with fried sage, more black pepper and shaved Parmesan/Pecorino and/or smoked salt, if desired.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit’s Winter Squash Carbonara with Pancetta and Sage (February 2014).
Make it vegan: Skip the cheese garnish.
Make it gluten-free: Use gluten-free pasta. Commenter Jenn recommends corn and quinoa blended gluten-free pasta, which is firmer than brown rice pasta.
Change it up: The squash purée is a killer bisque, which you could thin with vegetable broth if you’d like. You could also stir it into risotto at the end of cooking.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Allie H
So good and so filling. Will definitely make again.
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Allie! Thanks so much for your review.
Jaimi
This was amazing. I am planning to make it again and thin it out to soup consistency. The flavour was perfect.
★★★★★
Kate
Love that, Jaimi!
Taija Haller
I absolutely LOVE this recipe! It is my favorite fall recipe this year, comfort food at its best! (and possibly healthiest?)
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for making another recipe, Taija!
Jennifer
Thanks for a terrific vegan pasta recipie I worried it would be too sweet but the pepper flakes are perfect
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Jennifer!
Suzy
I would love to prepare this dish for Thanksgiving. I do plan on making as much as possible in advance so my question is, can I make the butternut squash the day before and store in the fridge until ready to use? Even if means having to add more stock or milk to it to make it creamy?
Kate
Hi! I haven’t tried it, sorry. I don’t know if the sauce would quite come together right.
Jamie
I would have given this 4 stars but after one day in the fridge the sauce goops up and its no longer creamy. I should have saved more pasta water to add to it the next day when reheating leftovers.
I am a fan of your recipes usually. Thanks for sharing :)
★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing! I’m sorry to hear it wasn’t as good the next day.
Rachel
I haven’t made this yet, but it seems like you could add a splash of almond or coconut milk when you reheat it.
Vicki Bee
Making this now. I’d imagine you could add a little broth to cream it up again. It smells divine when it’s cooking!
★★★★
Mary
I made the butternut squash with the organic durum wheat noodles. I would recommend adding more sage in the recipe, more garlic. Im allergic to red pepper so I was thinking about supplementing with organic cilantro. I felt like the food was too heavy in my stomach. My bf. is lactose tolerant. Do you have any suggestions about using different noodles that would be lighter on the stomach?
★★★
Kate
Hi Mary, I’m sorry you don’t love this one. You can always try a different noodle as there are a lot of different options out there. It may change the flavor and texture some, but I bet still give you a delicious result with the sauce.
Kelly H
I also noticed how quickly filling this was, but my first thoughts were to try the sauce on zucchini noodles, baked potatoes, or broccoli, if I didn’t want to eat it next time on traditional pasta. The sauce feels so much like a cheese sauce to me, but so much healthier, and the flavor is incredible, so I know it’ll be a staple in my fall/winter dishes the rest of this season. I’d also suggest people use elbow noodles if they really love mac n cheese, since this has such a luxurious creamy likeness to cheese sauce.
★★★★★
Ryan
I discovered today that I do NOT like roasted butternut squash… but I have a whole lot of it, cubed, in my freezer. I’m planning to make this tonight!
Was considering swapping smoked paprika for the red pepper (mostly because I have everything but the red pepper flakes and it seems silly to leave just for that). Obviously it won’t be spicy, but maybe balance out the sweetness? I’d love to hear your thoughts! :) Cannot wait to try this!
Kate
Hi Ryan! I do love smoked paprika, but I’m not sure without trying it. You could just leave out the red pepper flakes all together. Let me know what you think!
Lynne Huntley
Hi Kate! Just made this butternut squash fettuccine, and WOW! You hit the jackpot again! As usual, I added more garlic and a little thyme too. But I’ll be making this one again! P.S. Hope Cookie’s doing well! She’s a cutie! I’m also a dog and animal lover in general!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m so glad you loved it, Lynne! Cookie is doing great. I will be sure to give her some love!
Keaton
Little bit spicy for my taste but still very good great vegan dish
★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you still enjoyed it! You can always decrease the amount of red pepper to meet your tastes. Thanks for sharing, Keaton!
Angie
Overall I was disappointed and found the pasta be be bland for the amount of time it takes to prepare. Kids and husband didn’t have anything to say about it. Just ok. One tip: It must be served immediately! After just a few minutes it was extremely dry so I added more broth.
★★
Hailey
I had the same problem I found that adding some hot sauce helps add some more flavour and I think I’m just going to cut out pasta all together… an amazing alternative that adds a flavourful crunch is raw zucchini noodles that are extremely easy to make with a Spiralizer!! Delicious!
★★★
Tara
Fantastic! Perfect for my five kids (and me)! Perhaps for my husband, too, if he catches any leftovers! Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Kate
I love it! Family favorite, that’s great. Thanks for your review!
Hannah
It was delicious thank you! I added two large tbsp of plain full cream yoghurt into the squash and added more sage in the beginning and end. Will definitely make it again!
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Hannah! Thank you for the review.
Josh
Delicious, and super easy to make! Can’t wait to try more!
Kate
Thanks, Josh!
Emily
My 13 month old absolutely loves this puree, but the rest of us weren’t gaga. But we don’t care for butternut squash or pumpkin soups, either, so I was just trying to expand our repertoire. :) Thank you so much for sharing your recipes so that we can find things that work for our families. I’m really excited to have something my baby will chow down on this week!
★★
Kate
I’m glad you kiddo loved it! Sorry you were disappointed. Thanks so much for sharing. I appreciate the review!
Liz
This was amazing!! It fooled my kids who thought it was a cheese based sauce. And it was so easy. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Liz!
Marian White
Pretty tasty. I had never tried fried sage before. Anice touch.
★★★★
Nick
My new favourite dinner! Easy to make, vegan, warm and delicious. This is such a fabulous recipe and I am so grateful that I am now introduced to fried sage – what a treat!
★★★★★
Kate
Love it, Nick!
Maddisen
Lovely recipe I’m new to vegan cooking so it’s good to stick to some familiar pasta I added some extra spices and it was perfect
★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you liked i, Maddisen!
Tiffany Tran
So delicious and creamy! Thank you for this great recipe. I made a different butternut pasta recipe, and it was a total fail. I am so happy with how this came out. I added my own little twist— I doubled the garlic, used shallots instead of yellow onion, added greek yogurt and used GF pasta. And for my carnivore fiance, I add crumbled chicken sausage to top it off.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome! I’m glad your twist tasted great for you. Thanks for the review, Tiffany!
Erin
Holy cow. This was so delicious!! I made it just for myself and thought I’d have a few leftover meals. Nope, it was gone by the next day, that good! Thanks so much for another amazing recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy to hear that, Erin! Thanks for your review.
Alana
I was hesitant about trying this because I’m not a big fan of squash but, this is my FAVORITE vegan meal that I’ve made so far. Have made it twice now and the second time I doubled the fried sage topping because it is so yummy with the sauce/pasta. I also added a bit of dried basil & marjoram.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m so happy to hear that, Alana!
Alan
I’m eating this right now and I’m crying because it’s so delicious
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad they are happy tears, Alan! Thank your for your review.
Hitchiker
I’ve been making this recipe for years now and is pretty much the only way I eat butternut squash. I dislike butternut squash otherwise.
I add lightly sautéed kale and carrots. The kale adds a bitterness which complements the sweetness well. Thank you so much for this recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing.
Tim
Adding toasted pine nuts at the end along with the sage elevates this dish to a whole ‘nother level.
★★★★★
Kate
Pine nuts would be nice! Thanks for sharing, Tim.
Heather Lorenca
How much protein does a serving have?
Kate
Hi Heather, the nutritional information is below the notes section of the recipe. Make sure you allow cookies in your browser settings. I hope this helps!
Christof
Does this work ok with other kinds of pasta or is linguine better? I have bowtie and macaroni for other dishes but I don’t know enough about cooking to be confident about substitutions.
Kate
Linguine works best, but you can use other pasta. That should be fine! I would suggest bowtie over macaroni.
Anne
Creamy Butternut Squash Linguine recipe – The amount of sauce covered two full packages of pasta. We were eating this for a week, which was OK because it was yummy!
★★★★
Kate
Happy to hear you loved it, Anne!
matti
Add a generous squeeze of lemon! I’ve made this recipe a few times and always felt it was missing something to really brighten up the flavor — acid! A very generous squeeze of 1 1/2 lemons really did the trick!!
★★★★
Tammy
To be honest I thought this tasted odd at first — like pasta tossed in a creamy butternut squash bisque, which it kinda is haha. I tweaked it a bit and it worked much better for me! I took the advice of another comment to add lemon and that extra acidity really boosted the flavors. My lemon wasn’t very juicy, but a few dashes of tangy hot sauce before serving did the trick (and added a nice smokiness). I stirred in a package of sauteed cremini mushrooms and served the puree over Trader Joe’s yellow lentil spaghetti along with vegan parm and extra fried sage. Also, at least with the spaghetti I used, it held up very well in the fridge, even after 5 days. The sauce does get drier and clumpy the longer it sat, but a splash of some reserved pasta water right before reheating transformed it back to a perfectly creamy state.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m sorry you weren’t sold at first, but then were able to enjoy it!
Annette
Can this be made ahead?
Kate
I prefer this right away, but you can reheat it.
Bonnie
I added a little heavy cream while blending in my Vitamix and made it into soup! Friends loved it! The biggest compliment was “It was so good.. is like a hug in a soup!” I like to drink it chilled on a hot day too!
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Bonnie!
Nicole
Hi there was nutirtonal value does the dish have..
Many thanks
Kate
Hi Nicole! Unfortunately, I’m having issues with my nutritional plug-in. I’m working with my web team to fix right away. I apologize for any inconvenience!
Melanie
This is so delicious! Was tempted to skip the fried sage (not a huge fan, usually), but so glad I didn’t! It just gave that contrast of texture and flavour. Even my 3 year old son said “Mummy, I like dinner”. Will be making again!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you didn’t skip it! So good. Thanks for your review.
Leslie M
2 year old (and mama) approved! Instead of boiling down in the pan, I roasted all the squash with salt and pepper in the oven for the same amount of time suggested, then added it to sautéed onion, garlic, and sage before popping into the blender. (I didn’t think Small would be down for decorative herbs.) But dang! Secret veg for the win. So glad I have extras to freeze!
★★★★★
Dee
Decided to try something new… and this is bad! No flavor at all… no matter what I try nothing… added extra of this herb added a little extra of that herb… no flavor…no matter what I did! This is the 1st time I’ve made something and my hubby and I take 2 bites and throw it away… bunch of left overs… thrown away… both my hubby and I have a lot of experience with cooking! The 2nd thing I decided to try that was new tonight were these curry sweet potato french fries with this amazing miso gravy and black beans! Those were the bees knees! Sorry tho… this was an epic bland fail!
★★
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love this one! Thanks for your feedback.
KaySea
Hey so I just tried out this recipe with a kabocha squash and loved it. I didn’t have sage or a blender unfortunately but everything still smooshed down perfectly. I used it over non dairy mushroom ravioli so I can’t wait to try it with linguine. Also did you know you can eat the skins of the kabocha?
★★★★★
Kate
I’m not quite sure, Kay. Sorry!
Vanessa Maffey
New follower here! my boys (almost 1, 2 1/2 and 33 year old husband lol) LOVED this! I sprinkled nutritional yeast “cheese” on top (both little ones have cows milk allergy) and were so excited! Trying the west African peanut soup later this week! Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Vanessa!
Renee Plummer
Absolutely delicious. I added grilled asparagus just for fun on top! Labor intensive but oh so worth it!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you thought it was worth it, Renee!
Debra Huggins
Great recipe! Taste great and looks good. I made it for my daughter in law and son after their baby girl was born. She’s vegan and finding a good recipe for her just got easier! Thank you. Hi Cookie!
Linnea
This recipe is simple and elegant. I left the sauce on the thicker side which was a perfect texture and accompaniment for the butternut squash pasta I picked up at Trader Joe’s. I roasted up the remaining butternut squash, as I bought a ginormous squash, and topped the dish with the sage and roasted squash. Holy cow this is a keeper as everyone in the family loved it! Perfect fall flavors. Thank you.i
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Linnea!
Tze
Tried this recipe, it’s so simple yet so delicious! When I fried the sage, I also fried the pumpkin seeds till they started to pop like popcorn. I added the seeds (without peeling) as garnish to the pasta together with the sage. It adds a lot of flavor and texture. Love it!!
★★★★★
Matzka
I followed this pro tip, I must say it does add a lot of extra with little extra efforts!
★★★★★
Matzka
I followed this pro tip, I must say it does add a lot of extra with little extra efforts!
Btw, who do new comments appear last? Isn’t it more logical to let them appear on the top?
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for your comment, Tze!
Eric NYC
This recipe is OUTSTANDING! …And with one serving of pasta each , my partner and I got to eat the leftover ‘sauce’ as a delicious soup the next day!
★★★★★
Valerie
This butternut squash was too sweet for the pasta. The only redeeming factor was the crispy sage. I will not make this again.
★
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love this one! Thanks for your feedback, Valerie.
Sierra
Could I use this sauce using lasagne noodles instead of the other?
★★★★★
Stove
Arg. I agree with people here that the dish was a tad bland; at least compared to other butternut sauces with dairy! Just cant beat dairy! I still think for what its worth, it wasnt bad. I’m cookiing for a vegetarian and a lactose intolerant person, so thought this might do it, but alsa, back to the drawing board.
Thanks though!
★★★
Kate
I’m sorry to hear that! Thanks for sharing.
Benjamin T
Yummy! Yummy! The noodle was a perfect conveyer of the deep flavors that you have here. I love the squash texture mixed in with the sage. We served it along side some season root veggies on Christmas Eve and everyone loved it up here in chilly Minneapolis. Thanks Much!
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Benjamin!
Alex
Excellent dish, thank you! Healthy, simple, delicious, and warms you up nicely on a chilly evening. I’ll be making this one again!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Alex!
valerie
aggressively bland. super disappointing because it takes a while to make and it quite laborious. the consistency is that of baby food. :(
★
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love this one, Valerie.
Malia
This was super yummy! I would never have thought to use this as a sauce for linguine, but I really liked it! Thanks Kate! I added mushroom, which added a nice flavor as well.
★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
karen
Hi, I made this because my husband and I just became plant based vegans. On paper and in the picture it looks great. It tasted good and the flavour was good and the hot peppers added a nice zing. Only problem was it tasted like butternut squash soup over pasta. The fried sage was the best. Unfortunately a lot of work for it to taste like butternut squash soup over pasta. Sorry, I won’t be making this again.
★★
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love this one, Karen. I appreciate your review!
Kryn
Wow!!! creamy and flavorful! I made this for my family and they claimed “best pasta” hands down. I followed the recipes measurements except I used GF linguine, I substituted dried thyme for the sage and added a bit of mustard seed. Towards the end I added red bell peppers, spinach and topped with vegan parm. I will be cooking this one again and again! Next time crispy kale and sautéed mushrooms to switch it up :)
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Kryn. I’m happy you loved it!
Alison
Tried it today it was wonderful!!
★★★★★
Sarah Barker
I made this this evening, it was delicious! I roasted the squash before blitzing it xx
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your review, Sarah!
Andrea
This is sooo good! Used Banza chickpea pasta and still turned out incredible. I did need to salt quite a bit to get it to my liking, but it was worth it. Definitely going to try someone else’s tip of adding fresh lemon juice!
★★★★★
Bjorn Sorenson
SO EXCITED TO MAKE THIS AND EAT IT TYSM
Hannah Mayhorn
This is one of our favorite pasta recipes ever! It’s so creamy and delicious. We usually bake the squash, onion, and spices instead of cooking them on the stove, and when we puree the sauce, add a handful of raw cashews for extra creaminess. We’re gluten-free (husband has Celiac and I have wheat, barley, and non-GF oat allergies), so we make it with Tinkyada brown rice spaghetti. At the end, we mix in 1 cup of crushed walnuts to add extra protein and like to serve it with garlicky steamed broccoli. It’s amazing every time! Thanks for all your fantastic recipes.
★★★★★
Kate
I love that this is a favorite, Hannah! Thank you for taking the time to comment and review.
Michelle
I never comment on recipes I try. This one was stellar! So flavorful .
★★★★★
Rosalie
Soooooo good!! Also the instructions are detailed enough that it was super easy to make. The spice from the red pepper flakes really seals the deal for me!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad the instructions are helpful!
Shelly
Hello Kate,
I’m transitioning to a vegan lifestyle and this recipe looks great; I will try it this weekend. I’m just wondering is the sweet butternut squash the protein source? I ask so that I can figure out what sources of protein I can access as I transition. Thank you.
Kate
Hi Shelly! You can use a nutrition calculator to determine exact specifics if you like. The pasta has some protein. Here is my nutritional disclaimer: https://cookieandkate.com/nutrition-disclaimer/
Shelly
Thanks for replying, Kate. I look forward to trying out this recipe, and will share when I do!
Shelly
So I tried this tonight, and I loved it! It was pretty simple to make an tasted better than I thought. I never thought I would find an option to replace the cream that I typically use when making fettucine, so I’m glad I came across this recipe.
Shelly
So I tried this tonight, and I loved it! It was pretty simple to make and tasted better than I thought. I never thought I would find an option to replace the cream that I typically use when making fettucine, so I’m glad I came across this recipe.
★★★★★
Cynthia
Delicious! I made this tonight with chicken stock instead of vegetable since I didn’t have any on hand and onion powder instead of a medium onion. It came out so thick and creamy, reminded me of a healthy mac & cheese! :)
★★★★★
Kris
I tried making this dish using the same exact ingredients and my sauce was kind of dry and pasty. I added more than the recommended pasta water amount but I was afraid of diluting it too much. How did you get your dish to be so creamy/more liquidy?
Kate
Hi Kris! I’m sorry to hear it. The amount of pasta water you need to add could vary depending on the exact type/amount of squash used. Sounds like yours needed significantly more—you can always add another pinch of salt if you feel like the flavor has been diluted. Hope that helps!
Holly
This was SO good! Abslolutely delish. Definitely making it again. I used the 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes and I crisped a few whole sage leaves as well and added those as a garnish. The one thing I will do differently next time is to double the amount of chopped sage and crisp it in butter rather than oil. I love a browned butter/sage/butternut squash combo. YUMMY!
★★★★★
Debbie Elder
Made this for dinner tonight using Lentil/Brown Rice Spaghetti. So easy, quick to make, and tasty. Recently converted to the Vegan plan so was missing pasta and creamy cheese. Thank you for the recipe.
★★★★
Stephanie Zacharias
Can I use chicken broth instead of veggie broth?
Kate
I’m vegetarian so of course don’t use it, but it should work here too. I hope you love it!
Allyssa
I usually try to stick to the recipe exactly when it’s my first time making it AND when I’m working with unfamiliar flavors… and this one is pretty awesome! Only thing I did different was make some TVP bacon bits and sprinkle on top with the sage at the end. Delightful and will make again when I’m tired of tomato based pastas
Howell
very easy very tasty! I made some crispy basil rather than sage since I didn’t have any, which also worked veeery well. The sauce matches very well with gluten free pasta!
i can really reccomend serving it with oven-blistered cherry tomatoes : )
will make again!
★★★★★
Allison
I rarely leave comments because I rarely follow a recipe to a T. And what good is a review if you change all sorts of things. It’s no longer the recipe, right?!? Well, I made this tonight and it was so delicious that I have to leave a comment. I live in south Louisiana where our meals reign supreme in the flavor department. If a recipe calls for 1 garlic clove, that really means 3. If it calls for 1/8tsp pepper, I’m not even sure what that is ;) So I made this tonight and am mainly reviewing the sauce part of this recipe. I followed the recipe but used more garlic and red pepper than you called for. I didn’t have sage, but know that basil also pairs well with butternut squash and happen to have an abundance of fresh basil. So that’s what I used. I used Banza chickpea pasta, which is my go-to pasta. I also threw in some fresh baby spinach when I mixed the sauce with the pasta because…why not?? I had it in my fridge and needed to use it. It didn’t add any flavor; just some nutrition. Anyway…this recipe is definitely a keeper. The flavor of the butternut sauce mixture is so wonderful! I just love healthy, clean recipes that don’t have all the added junk. I eat whole food plant based so I omitted the parmesan. I could only imagine how that would add to the flavor, though. Thank you for the recipe. I can’t wait to explore your recipes more and try out some new things!
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Allison! Thank you for leaving a comment. I’m excited that you liked it and glad you were able to work with what you had! Thanks again for your review.
Kelly
Hello! Can the butternut squash puree be made in advance without seizing up?
Kate
Hi Kelly, I haven’t tried it. For best results, I would suggest preparing as written.
Mary M
This was great! I had my doubts, and my husband doesn’t like winter squash. But once I tasted the puree, I knew it was a winner. I’ll be making it many times over.
I think I could make a large batch of the sauce, freeze it, and have a quick meal ready in the time it takes to cook the pasta.
★★★★★
Tami Rossignol
I haven’t made this yet, but plan to this week. I know from some other mac and cheese recipes that adding tapioca floor adds a wonderful creaminess. I’m wondering what your thoughts on this might be since some people here reviewing it thought is was a little dry or didn’t stay well for left overs.
Thanks so much for your recipes! Love them.
Kate
Hi Tami, I don’t have too much experience using it that way to speak to that specifically. You can always reserve a little pasta water to toss with as you warm. It can work well when pastas dry out in the refrigerator.
Hanna
Our big family thanksgiving dinner (Canada) was cancelled. I decided to skip the turkey for our household and made this, served over gnocchi. Wow. So so so good, and so healthy. Aside from chopping the squash, the recipe didn’t take long at all. This is going to be added to my fall/winter rotation. So delicious!!
★★★★★
Michellr
I wanted to try something with butternut squash but didn’t want something too ambitious. So I was pleasantly surprised with how easy this recipe was! (Oh and delicious!) would highly recommend and will definitely go into my fall/winter dinner rotations.
★★★★★
Nicole
Hello, I’d love to try this recipe but am wondering if acorn squash would work? I have several to use. Thanks!
Kate
Hi Nicole, it’s hard to say for sure without trying it. If you have acorn squash, you should try Vegetarian Stuffed Acorn Squash
Meme
Hi! I’d like to make this but don’t have access to fresh sage. Can I just top this with dried sage instead?
Kate
Hi! It may not give you the same taste as it can be much more potent. Be mindful of how much you use so it doesn’t overpower.
Georgina
Could Rosemary be substituted for sage? If so, how much? Thanks!!:)
Kate
Hi! I like sage the best with this one. Not sure rosemary would be my preference. If you try it, I would be interested to hear what you think!
Sarah
Love a guilt-free pasta dish!
The only change I would suggest… boil the pasta half the time, as it continues cooking later in the skillet.
Easy fix to avoid mushy pasta :)
Jayden
This was good. I followed other reviewer’s advice to store the starchy water for leftovers, and that was a good cause. I doctored the sauce up with a little McCormick’s garlic powder, and that added a bit. The sage was a nice touch. I’ve never done much with sage. Thanks so much for this!
★★★★
Shelley Hill
This was so delicious! I used a kuri squash and it was so good!
Thank you!
★★★★★
Tamara
This was delicious- and surprisingly creamy, particularly for being vegan. I didn’t have sage so used rosemary.I also added some sautéed spinach, which was a nice compliment.
★★★★★
Marielle
This was amazing! It’s going in my repertoire for sure. Worth the effort and I just loved every bite. Filling, substantial, delicious, and sophisticated. Thanks for a knock-out recipe!
★★★★★
Amy
Made this tonight. I sadly didn’t have sage but it was absolutely lovely! I scaled down for me and tossed the leftovers into some soup I made! Will make again!
Angie
This was so yummy!!!
I added more squash to it. I also used some red curry paste and smoked paprika and it had just the right amount of heat!!!! I also added some ground thyme and turmeric. Was so filling. I have some left over squash and I will thin it out with some coconut milk for a soup!!!!
★★★★★
Nic
I’m new to veganism and so glad I found your page!
This was absolutely delicious. Creamy and indulgent tasting, yet so healthy!
I wasn’t convinced it would work but wow!
Only additional thing I did was add a little nutritional yeast.
Loved it
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Nic! I’m happy to hear that.
Lisa
This was ridiculously delicious. I used shallots but that’s the only modification. Can’t wait to make it again.
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great to hear, Lisa! Thank you for your review.
Merrill
I made this last night for my vegan son-in- law. It was really good, especially with a little cheese on top and super filling. Portion size is accurate. I have enough left for dinner tonight!