Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce
This Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce is the perfect way to add a full serving of veggies to a delicious, satisfying pasta dish. It’s creamy vegetarian comfort food at its absolute finest, and where other squash ravioli recipes fall a bit flat, this one stands out with a combination of roasted garlic, sage, and thyme.
You’ll Love This
- Butternut squash sauce is great for meal prep! If you do food prep on the weekends, you can make a batch of this sauce on Sunday for a quick weeknight meal during the week. Then all you have to do for dinner is warm the sauce on the stove and add the cooked pasta of your choice!
- This sauce reheats beautifully in a saucepan on the stove over medium heat. Add a splash of broth or cream to loosen it up and don’t forget to season with salt after you’ve heated it through!
- It’s a super filling meatless meal option! Whether your family is vegetarian, or just trying to include a few more meatless meals in your monthly rotation, this is a great option that will still leave everyone feeling satisfied – even the meat-eaters in your life!
- Your kids will eat veggies! If you have a picky eater, this sauce is the sneaky maneuver you’ve been waiting for. It’s so creamy and delicious that kids won’t know they’re getting a hearty serving of some serious nutrients. If you don’t want to disclose that it’s a squash sauce, you can always call it a cheese sauce as well!
Instructions
Drizzle garlic with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle squash with olive oil and season with thyme, sage, and a couple large pinches of salt and pepper.
Roast for 50 minutes or until the squash is fork tender.
Transfer squash and garlic to a high-speed blender along with veggie broth and blend until smooth and creamy.
Pour into a saute pan and heat over medium low for 5 minutes or until heated through.
Remove from heat and stir in heavy cream.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and add ravioli.
Garnish with parsley, Parmesan, and toasted walnuts.
Tips
- For a more mild flavor, roast just one head of garlic to this butternut squash ravioli sauce. I LOVE garlic and I find that what most squash cream sauce recipes are missing is flavor! The roasted garlic in this recipe brings out the natural sweetness of the squash so I highly recommend using both heads of garlic.
- This is a great make-ahead sauce so you’ve got a quick and easy dinner option at your fingertips! You can pour this into a jar and store in the fridge for up to a week. If you have leftovers or are really planning ahead, store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months. Loosen under hot tap water, transfer to a saucepan, and warm on the stove with an extra pinch of salt and pepper.
- Any type of regular or filled pasta will work for this sauce! I like to use Giovanni Rana, for a high-quality ravioli that boils to perfection in just 4 minutes. But you can use your family’s favorite or whatever you have on hand! Rotini, penne, linguine, or fettuccine will all allow the sauce to cling to every nook and cranny!
- Don’t forget to salt your pasta water! This is your only chance to season the pasta itself, and a hearty amount of Kosher salt – like 1-2 tablespoons – added to your pasta water just after it comes to a boil is going to go a long way in boosting the overall flavors of the dish! Once you start salting your pasta water, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it!
Try these easy pastas next!
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Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce
This Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce is the perfect way to add a full serving of veggies to a delicious, satisfying pasta dish. It’s creamy vegetarian comfort food at its absolute finest, and where other squash ravioli recipes fall a bit flat, this one stands out with a combination of roasted garlic, sage, and thyme.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups sauce
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stove Top + Oven
- Cuisine: Italian/American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 2 lb. butternut squash
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 heads of garlic, halved width wise
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- Kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper
- 20 oz. refrigerated cheese ravioli or your choice of pasta for serving
Garnish
- fresh chopped parsley
- shredded Parmesan cheese
- toasted walnuts
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425 degrees.
- Cut off the top and bottom of the squash. Slice it in half lengthwise, remove the seeds/guts, and discard.
- Place garlic inside a small piece of tin foil and drizzle it with a teaspoon or so of olive oil. Season garlic with a pinch of salt and pepper. Wrap foil around garlic sealing it inside.
- Season squash with thyme, sage, and a couple large pinches of salt and pepper.
- Roast for 50 minutes or until the squash is fork tender.
- While the squash is roasting, cook ravioli according to package directions until al dente. Toss in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Allow squash and garlic to cool until you can handle them.
- Once the squash is cool enough to handle, peel off the skin, and transfer the flesh to a high-speed blender. Squeeze garlic from its skin and add it to the blender as well. Add veggie broth and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Pour into a saute pan and heat over medium-low for 5 minutes or until heated through.
- Remove from heat and stir in heavy cream.
- Add vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper and add cooked ravioli.
- Serve with ravioli and garnish with parsley, Parmesan, and toasted walnuts.
Notes
For a more mild flavor, roast just one head of garlic to this butternut squash ravioli sauce. I LOVE garlic and I find that what most squash cream sauce recipes are missing is flavor! The roasted garlic in this recipe brings out the natural sweetness of the squash so I highly recommend using both heads of garlic.
This is a great make-ahead sauce so you’ve got a quick and easy dinner option at your fingertips! You can pour this into a jar and store in the fridge for up to a week. If you have leftovers or are really planning ahead, store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months. Loosen under hot tap water, transfer to a saucepan, and warm on the stove with an extra pinch of salt and pepper.
Any type of regular or filled pasta will work for this sauce! I like to use Giovanni Rana, for a high-quality ravioli that boils to perfection in just 4 minutes. But you can use your family’s favorite or whatever you have on hand! Rotini, penne, linguine, or fettuccine will all allow the sauce to cling to every nook and cranny!
Don’t forget to salt your pasta water! This is your only chance to season the pasta itself, and a hearty amount of Kosher salt – like 1-2 tablespoons – added to your pasta water just after it comes to a boil is going to go a long way in boosting the overall flavors of the dish! Once you start salting your pasta water, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 pasta and sauce
- Calories: 131
- Sugar: 4.2 g
- Sodium: 77.6 mg
- Fat: 5.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 21.7 g
- Fiber: 3.5 g
- Protein: 2.1 g
- Cholesterol: 5.6 mg
Very good! This is the first time I’ve left a review on a blog. But this was a perfect recipe to try as I have an over abundance of butternut squash. Made it exactly as printed but used more cream and white wine instead of vinegar. My husband and I were very impressed! Thank you.
I am so glad to hear that you both enjoyed this squash pasta sauce recipe, Pepasita! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review – I really appreciate it 🙂
We love this one in our family. Our daughter doesn’t like squash but loves this pasta sauce!
Do you think this would be good with pumpkin puree in place of squash?
I do! I think the flavor would be very similar and it would probably be delicious. Can’t wait to hear what you think if you give it a try!
I’m allergic to sage, is there an alternative spice I can use?
You could try dried thyme, rosemary, basil, or oregano in its place. A different herb will give a different flavor of course but it will still be delicious!
I see that there’s white wine vinegar listed in the ingredients but not used anywhere in the recipe. Where is it meant to be used? I’m looking forward to making it.
That was my bad! It’s just a finishing touch right at the end to balance the creaminess. It is in the recipe card now 🙂 Thanks Melissa!
Omg, this butternut squash pasta sauce looks perfect! I am definitely giving this a go. Thank you so much for the recipe ?
Can’t wait to hear what you think, Albertina!