This Pasta with Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Sauce is a quick and easy vegetarian recipe that even squash haters will love! Butternut squash, garlic, and onion are roasted, then simmered with fresh herbs in white wine and broth, before being blended into a smooth, creamy sauce. Finish with salty, nutty grated Pecorino Romano cheese and toss with your choice of pasta.
Take this dish to the next level by topping it with crispy sauteed mushrooms, bacon, or Italian sausage (optional but recommended)!
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How to Make Pasta with Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Sauce
Butternut squash is loaded with vitamins and low in calories. When roasted, it develops a sweet, caramelized flavor, and a beautifully creamy texture, making it the perfect base for a healthy pasta sauce.
My goal for this Pasta with Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Sauce recipe was to keep it clean and light, so no heavy cream is used. It’s still extra saucy and delicious!
How to Cut Butternut Squash
- Peel the exterior.
- Cut in half lengthwise.
- Scoop out the pulp and seeds.
- Dice into cubes.
The Vegetables: Roasted and Blended
Roasting is one of my favorite ways to cook vegetables. The dry heat of the oven caramelizes the vegetables, enhancing and intensifying the flavors.
Preheat your oven to 425° Fahrenheit (218° Celsius). For easier cleanup, line your sheet pan with parchment paper. In a bowl or directly on the sheet pan, toss the prepared vegetables with the oil, half a teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Roast the vegetables in the preheated oven for forty minutes, tossing halfway through the cooking time.
I used a red onion here, but that’s just because it’s what I had on hand. A yellow onion will work as well. 🧅
I used avocado oil for this recipe as it has a high smoke point and is a healthy choice! 🥑
Now would be a good time to bring your generously salted pot of water to a boil.
Once the vegetables are done roasting, toss them in a food processor or blender with one and a half cups of vegetable (or homemade chicken bone broth), and blend. Add more broth as needed. It doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth, a tiny chunk of butternut squash never hurt anyone!
Brown Butter + White Wine
Brown butter is regular butter that has been cooked just long enough to toast the milk solids found in the butter. It’s another way to add amazing depth of flavor to a sauce that has minimal ingredients.
Melt the butter, add one tablespoon of thyme and sage, then stir occasionally until the butter turns a beautiful golden-brown color, as seen above.
Wine time! Splash in your white wine and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half. The alcohol will cook off and bring an amazing flavor and acidity to the dish. A crisp Sauvignon Blanc works well here, but you can also use Pinot Grigio or Unoaked Chardonnay.
Finishing the Pasta with Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Sauce Recipe
I can imagine your water is boiling by now! Drop the pasta and cook until al dente. Before straining, reserve at least a half cup of the pasta water.
Dump the roasted vegetable purée into the pan with the browned butter, along with the other half teaspoon of salt and pepper, and a tablespoon of fresh thyme. Heat the sauce for a few minutes, and in the meantime, shred your Pecorino Romano cheese. Add the cheese and piping hot pasta water to the sauce and stir to combine.
Toss your pasta with the sauce, garnish with a little Pecorino Romano cheese and freshly cracked black pepper, serve, and enjoy!
CONNECT WITH ME!
I’d love to hear about your experience with the roasted garlic butternut squash recipe or just life and cooking in general. Please leave a question or comment below, or get in touch via email!
Follow me on social media to stay connected and keep up with the fun. I’m mostly active on Instagram stories. I sometimes share recipes my husband and I make that I don’t share here on the blog! We cook something new almost every weekend. But being from NY, we’re making homemade pizza and appetizers for pizza half the time. I also share other cooking tips, beginner gardening and sourdough-making things, etc. Hope to see you there. 🙂
– Jenna
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MORE ROASTED VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION:
Pasta with Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Sauce.
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Butternut squash, garlic, and onion are roasted and blended with vegetable or chicken broth. Brown butter, white wine, and fresh herbs give this sauce an amazing depth of flavor. Finish with salty, nutty grated Pecorino Romano cheese and toss with your choice of pasta. Take this dish to the next level by topping it with crispy sauteed mushrooms, bacon, or Italian sausage (optional but recommended)!
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta, cooked al dente (I use whole grain or Veggiecraft pasta)
- 1 butternut squash (one 2 1/2 pound squash yields about 4–5 cups)
- 1 red or yellow onion – whatever you have on hand, peeled, halved, then cut into thirds
- 6–8 garlic cloves (depending on size), peeled
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, divided
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, minced and divided
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage, minced
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth or homemade chicken bone broth
- 1/2 cup white wine (I used a Sauvignon Blanc)
- 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
- 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Optional toppings: - Crispy seared mushrooms (sliced or diced)
- Crispy chopped bacon
- Browned Italian sausage
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- PREPARE AND ROAST THE VEGETABLES. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (218 degrees C). For the butternut squash: Peel, halve lengthwise, scoop out the pulp and seeds, then dice into 2-inch cubes. Halve, peel, quarter, then separate the onion. Peel the garlic. Toss the vegetables with avocado oil, half a teaspoon each of salt and freshly cracked black pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Roast the vegetables on a sheet baking pan (you can line it with parchment if you’d like) in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, tossing halfway through.
- BOIL PASTA WATER AND BLEND THE VEGETABLES. When the vegetables are almost finished roasting, bring a generously salted pot of water to a boil. Once the vegetables are done roasting, transfer them to a food processor or blender, and blend them with the broth until combined.
- BROWN BUTTER + WHITE WINE. Mince the thyme and sage. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium/low heat, then stir in one tablespoon each of thyme and sage. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam and sizzle. Keep stirring until the butter begins to turn golden brown, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat to medium and splash in the white wine. Cook for 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally until the liquid has reduced to about half.
- COOK THE PASTA, FINISH THE SAUCE, THEN COMBINE WITH PASTA, GARNISH, AND SERVE. Cook your pasta until al dente. Any pasta shape that you have in your pantry will work! Once the pasta is done, before straining it, reserve a half cup of pasta water; it will be used to thin the sauce. Dump the roasted vegetable purée into the pan with the browned butter, along with the other half teaspoon of salt and freshly cracked pepper, and a tablespoon of fresh thyme. Heat the sauce for a few minutes, and in the meantime, shred your Pecorino Romano cheese. Add the cheese and piping hot pasta water to the sauce and stir to combine. Gently toss the pasta with the roasted garlic butternut squash sauce. Plate the pasta then top with shredded Pecorino Romano cheese and freshly cracked black pepper. Serve, and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven, Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
This pasta dish is delicious and healthy and so different! Keep coming up with these amazing recipes! Everyone will love it and should try it!
Thank you Mom 🖤🖤
It’s a pretty good sauce. I think you could add more sage and other spices, it’s a bit on the bland side. Perhaps lemon added in the sauce would work. I don’t know where the 1 1/2 cup broth comes into play— maybe I missed it but I read all the directions 5 times… maybe it’s just hard to find on my phone. I would make this again but probably doctor it a bit.
Hi Savannah! I appreciate your opinion and for trying my recipe. I’m going to retest the recipe with some extra herbs. I love a flavorful, herbaceous recipe so I would never want my recipe to be bland. Thank you for the tip! Also, I apologize, the broth is supposed to be blended with the vegetables. I’ve added that to the instructions and appreciate you noticing my mistake. Thank you so much for your feedback! It helps a lot.
Hi Savannah! So, I retested the recipe and thought it was pretty spot on and flavorful (for my taste buds at least). The wine adds acidity and a complex flavor. But, a little squeeze of lemon juice wouldn’t be a bad idea if you’re looking for even more acidity. I thought there was enough sage and thyme, as sage can be overpowering. Also, Kettle & Fire brand bone broth adds an even deeper flavor. I liked to use the mushroom chicken bone broth from them, but they also have a tasty vegetable broth!
The only thing I did add was an extra tablespoon of butter for brown butter for slightly richer sauce.
Again, thank you for trying and reviewing my dish! I hope you try the recipe again and love it after you make it your way. 🤗
Jenna made this for me and it is the best! I love the texture and flavor, and such a nice fall time recipe:)
Always happy to share! I’m so glad you liked! 🍁🍝
this looks amazing and I want to try this recipe
Thank you, Jimmy! I hope you enjoy the recipe.
Looks amazing and your photography is beautiful!
Thank you so much, I really appreciate it!! ☺️
Looks amazing and your photography is beautiful!!
Thank you so much, I really appreciate it!! ☺️
so good!!!
Thanks so much, Christine!
This looks yummy and I can’t wait to try it! Great recipe!
Thank you Susan! I hope you love the recipe!
What tomatoes are in summer, butternut squash is in fall to pasta. love the addition of garlic!
I totally agree! Thank you, Vaishali. 😊
This sounds so good! I have been starting to get bored of my current veggie meals, so I definitely want to try this out x
Awesome! I hope you love it Caroline!
This looks soooo good! I will definitely be making this soon!
That’s wonderful to hear, Su! I hope you enjoy the recipe. 😊
This is such an exciting recipe. I have never had a butternut squash sauce before. I’ll have to test it out!
I hope you love the recipe, Melanie! 🤗