Butternut Squash Sauce and Roasted Veggies

Turn your fresh butternut squash into this Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce. It’s filled with healthy plant-based ingredients and topped with roasted veggies. It’s the perfect fall meal!

This Creamy Butternut Squash sauce is similar to our homemade Sweet Potato Pasta Sauce. It’s rich, creamy, and one of the best ways to sneak veggies into a picky eater’s diet. Once the whole family’s hooked on winter squash, you have to try these Kabocha Squash Enchiladas, Roasted Spaghetti Squash, and Butternut Squash Red Pepper Soup. Get ready for a squash-filled season bursting with flavor!

Why You’ll Love This Pasta Sauce

• Perfect fall comfort food. Once the cool weather hits, replace the typical marinara sauce or Dairy-Free Alfredo Sauce with this butternut squash pasta dish. 
• Great way to use up butternut squash. If you have ½ of a butternut squash left over, turning it into a delicious pasta sauce is the perfect solution. 
• Gluten-free. When made with tamari, this pasta sauce is naturally gluten-free. Serve with rice noodles or another gluten-free pasta of choice like brown rice pasta, spaghetti squash, or zucchini noodles.
• Ready in 30 minutes! By steaming the cubed butternut instead of roasting a larger butternut, the prep time is cut down significantly. 
• Freezer friendly. This pasta sauce is easy to freeze. If you have a lot of butternut squash to use, make a large batch and freeze the sauce to enjoy any time of year. 

The Ingredients

• Butternut squash: Use freshly cut butternut squash, pre-cut, or frozen butternut. If using pre-cut, make sure the pieces are cut into about ½-inch cubes. 
• Carrots: We used 2 medium-sized fresh carrots, but frozen carrots will work, too. 
• Coconut milk: Adds creaminess without dairy or heavy cream. For the best flavor, use full-fat canned coconut milk. 
• Turmeric: Enhances the color of the pasta sauce while providing earthiness and many health benefits. 
• Oil: Use any neutral oil. If oil-free, omit and use broth or water. 
• Red onion: Adds a milder flavor than yellow onion, but yellow or white onion can be used. 
• Garlic: Use one garlic clove or ⅛ teaspoon of garlic powder. 
• Soy sauce: Adds saltiness and umami flavor to the creamy pasta sauce. If gluten-free, use tamari. 
• Granulated sugar: Cane sugar, coconut sugar, or light brown sugar are best. 
• Broccoli: Either fresh or frozen work. Frozen is typically more affordable and cuts down on prep time.

Possible Substitutions

• Butternut squash: Replace with another winter squash like cubed pumpkin, acorn squash, or sweet potato. Acorn squash will make a very different colored sauce but will still be delicious. You can also use a mix of a few types of squash. 
• Veggies: Replace the broccoli with another veggie such as quartered Brussels sprouts, green beans, frozen peas, or frozen mixed veggies. 
• Add heat: If you want your vegan butternut squash pasta sauce to have a kick, add in red pepper flakes or sriracha to the sauce to taste.

How to Make Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce

• 1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

• 2) Next, steam the butternut squash and carrots until the veggies are easily pierced with a fork. 

Alternatively, use our super simple guide, How to Roast a Butternut Squash to cook the butternut squash on a sheet pan with parchment paper. You can also roast the carrots in the oven at the same time, if desired. Use our How to Make Glazed Carrots post as a guide for cook times. 

• 3) Once the veggies are cooked and tender, add them into a blender along with the coconut milk, turmeric, salt, and black pepper. Blend on high until a smooth sauce forms. Set aside.

• 4) In a large pan over medium-high heat, heat a neutral cooking oil until hot. Add in the onion and garlic and sauté until the onions are tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. 

• 5) Add in frozen broccoli or veggies of choice and cook for 2-3 minutes.

• 6) Add in the soy sauce and sugar and continue to cook for about 7 minutes, or until the veggies are cooked to your liking. 

• 7) Finally, stir in the cooked pasta or noodles and the creamy sauce until well combined. Serve while hot and creamy!

Recipe FAQs

Top Recipe Tips 

• Adjust the consistency. ​Depending on preference, you may prefer your sauce thinner. If so, add 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth at a time until your desired consistency is reached. 
• Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water. ​Adding the reserved pasta water when mixing the pasta and pasta sauce together helps the pasta sauce to stick to the pasta. 
• Use ripe butternut squash. Ripe butternut squash is sweeter and more flavorful than unripe butternut squash. When browsing the produce section, choose a butternut squash that has a beige color with no green patches. It should also feel heavy for its size. 

Serving Suggestions 

Here are a few of our favorite side dishes to serve with this healthy butternut squash pasta: 

• Butternut Squash Sage Biscuits
• Vegan Focaccia Bread
• Vegan Fluffy Biscuits
• Easiest No Knead Bread
• Garlic Herb Dinner Rolls

Make Ahead Tips and Storage Instructions 

If making this butternut squash pasta sauce for meal prep, store the sauce separately from the veggies and noodles. The pasta and sauce can be stored mixed together, but the pasta or noodles will absorb the sauce overnight in the fridge and won’t be as creamy the next day. 

Leftover butternut squash pasta sauce will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge in an airtight container or in the freezer for up to 3 months. This sauce will freeze well in freezer bags or freezer-safe containers such as mason jars.

If storing the pasta and pasta sauce together, enjoy within 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan until warmed through again.

More Butternut Squash Recipes 

• Roasted Curried Butternut Squash
• Creamy Curried Butternut Squash Lentil Soup
• Butternut Squash Curry
• Thai Butternut Squash Soup
• Butternut Squash Sage Biscuits
• Butternut Squash Mac n’ Cheese

Photos by Alfonso Revilla