Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce
Creamy, savory, and full of cozy autumn flavor, this butternut squash pasta sauce gives you that special restaurant dinner feeling without the restaurant bill. Even better, double the sauce and turn the leftovers into an easy soup for another meal.
✨Attention butternut squash lovers! You’ll also want to try our recipes for Butternut Squash Casserole with Pecans and Roasted Butternut Squash.
Why You’ll Love My Recipe
- You can easily make a delicious seasonal pasta sauce that tastes just as good as what you’d get at your favorite Italian restaurant.
- While it’s not a 15-minute prep recipe, this sauce doesn’t take much hands-on time, so it’s easy for a weeknight meal.
- It’s a two-for-one meal! Just double the recipe and use any leftover sauce to make a tasty soup.
Now that the kids are back to school and the temps are dropping, I want quick dinners that feel warm and comforting without spending all night in the kitchen. This easy pasta sauce with butternut squash combines roasted squash, garlic, Parmesan, cream, and fresh thyme into a silky sauce that feels a little fancy but is actually simple to make. Toss it with your favorite pasta for an easy dinner at home that costs a lot less than dining out. Make extra now, and you already have a head start on another meal later in the week.
Ingredients
For step-by-step instructions and a full printable recipe card with ingredients, please scroll down to the teal box below.
- Butternut squash: This is the heart of the sauce. The squash is naturally a little bit sweet, and roasting it gives your sauce a deeper flavor. Precut squash is a great shortcut when you need to get dinner moving.
- Olive oil: Olive oil helps the squash roast and caramelize, adding a little richness.
- Onion: Adds savory flavor that helps offset the squash’s sweetness. Shallots also work beautifully and give the sauce a slightly milder flavor.
- Fresh garlic: Garlic adds plenty of savory flavor and keeps the finished sauce from tasting too sweet. If your garlic cloves are small, feel free to add another.
- Salt and pepper: Simple seasoning makes all the other flavors pop. Taste the sauce after adding the Parmesan since the cheese will also add saltiness.
- Fresh Thyme: Thyme and butternut squash are a classic fall combination. Fresh basil or sage are good substitutes.
- Chicken broth: Broth thins the pureed squash and helps you create that smooth, spoonable consistency. Add it gradually so your sauce does not become too thin.
- Fresh Parmesan cheese: Parmesan adds saltiness, nuttiness, and plenty of savory flavor. Freshly grated Parmesan melts more smoothly than pre-shredded cheese.
- Heavy cream: Heavy cream turns the squash puree into an extra-rich, delicious sauce. It also gives you that silky texture you expect from a restaurant-style pasta dinner.
- Make this recipe your own by adding crushed red pepper flakes for heat or paprika for smokiness. Start with a little bit, taste, and adjust from there.
Out of something you need? Check out our free ingredient substitutions printable!
A Note About Parmesan Cheese
Now I know it can be a little pricey, but I highly recommend using a block of fresh Parmesan cheese and grating it yourself. It’s far more flavorful than the pre-grated cheese, and it melts beautifully.
I know you don’t want to buy an ingredient for one dish, so consider using it to make our Parmesan Risotto and Monterey Spaghetti, as well as (my favorite) Garlic Parmesan Chicken recipes.
Plus, you can tightly wrap Parmesan cheese and freeze it for later. In my opinion, frozen Parmesan is best used within 6 months, but it will last up to 12 months.
How to Use Leftovers
This might be what I love the most about this recipe and why it earns a spot in my fall dinner rotation. Make a double batch of butternut squash pasta sauce, then set half aside before tossing the rest with your pasta.
For another meal, turn the extra sauce into butternut squash soup. Add chicken broth a little at a time until the sauce reaches a soup consistency. Warm it gently, then taste and adjust the seasoning.
Finish the soup with another splash of cream and a handful of Parmesan. Top it with crispy sage, croutons, bacon, or pumpkin seeds.
Dinner tonight, soup later. That is my favorite way to make one cooking session work twice as hard for you.
More ways to use this sauce:
- Make my ravioli lasagna recipe with this butternut squash sauce instead of red sauce.
- You could even make my easy lasagna soup recipe with ground chicken or turkey and this sauce instead of tomato sauce.
- My eggplant parmesan is also a delicious way to enjoy this sauce.
- It’s also perfect for adding to a Fall pasta grazing board.
Serving Suggestions
Keep it simple and toss the sauce with your favorite pasta, then finish each bowl with freshly grated Parmesan, cracked black pepper, and fresh thyme.
For a little texture, add toasted walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, crispy bacon, or seasoned breadcrumbs. A little drizzle of olive oil or a squeeze of lemon juice right before serving can also wake up the flavors.
This is also an easy recipe to customize. Add cooked Italian sausage, chicken meatballs, crispy bacon, shredded chicken, mushrooms, garlic shrimp, or sautéed spinach to make the meal heartier.
What kind of pasta goes best with butternut squash sauce?
Rigatoni and penne are especially good because their ridges catch the sauce. Cavatappi and rotini work well for the same reason.
Fettuccine and linguine are delicious if you want something that seems a little more elegant for date night at home.
You can also spoon the sauce over ravioli, tortellini, or gnocchi. Cheese-filled pasta pairs especially well with the savory squash and thyme flavors.
If you’re looking for a side dish, you can’t go wrong with my semi-homemade Italian breadsticks, garlic cheese bombs, or garlic knots.
Frequently Asked Questions
Roasting gives you the deepest flavor because the edges caramelize. You can cook the squash another way if needed, but roasting is worth the extra time when you want that cozy fall flavor.
Absolutely, and please do! It is one of my favorite shortcuts for getting an autumn dinner on the table without wrestling with a whole squash.
Yes. Make the sauce ahead and refrigerate it separately from the pasta. Reheat the sauce when you are ready to eat, then toss with freshly cooked pasta.
Yes. You can use additional broth for a lighter sauce, though it will not be quite as rich. Half-and-half can also work if you want something in between.
Garlic, Parmesan, black pepper, lemon juice, fresh herbs like thyme, sage, or basil, and red pepper flakes help balance the squash’s natural sweetness.
Before You Grab the Recipe
If this butternut squash pasta sauce is part of your fall meal plan, save or pin the recipe so you can find it again. Share it with a friend who loves cozy pasta dinners, too. After you make it, come back and leave a comment about how you served yours and what you did with the leftover sauce.
Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce
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Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash about 2–3 pounds, peeled, seeded, and cubed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh garlic minced
- 2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
- 1/3 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg optional
- fresh thyme for garnish and for extra flavor
- pinch red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- Toss the prepared squash with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and spread it onto a baking sheet. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Roast at 400F for 25-30 minutes until the squash is fork-tender. It should be slightly caramelized on the edges.1 medium butternut squash, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Meanwhile, sauté the onion with the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until soft and translucent, about 5–7 minutes. Then, add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes more, until fragrant.3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 small yellow onion, 2 teaspoons fresh garlic
- Add the roasted squash, sautéed onion and garlic, and broth into a blender, or use an immersion blender to puree everything together. (I like to do this with an immersion blender in a large saucepan so I don’t have extra dishes). Blend until completely smooth and creamy.2 cups chicken broth
- Over medium heat, warm the pureed sauce for about 5 minutes, then stir in the remaining ingredients. Let the sauce gently simmer for 5–10 minutes until slightly thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/3 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, pinch red pepper flakes
- Toss with cooked pasta such as penne, rigatoni, or fettuccine, and finish with extra Parmesan and herbs if desired.fresh thyme
Equipment
- Immersion Blender
Notes
Ang’s Recipe Tips
- Roast the squash until it is fork-tender. If you can easily pierce it with a fork, it will blend much more smoothly.
- Do not rush the onion and garlic. Cooking them slowly until they are soft and translucent builds the savory flavor to balance the squash’s natural sweetness.
- Add your broth gradually. You can always thin a thick sauce, but fixing a watery sauce takes more time.
- For the smoothest sauce, blend while the squash mixture is still warm. A high-speed blender works especially well, but an immersion blender is another easy option.
- Add the Parmesan after blending, then stir until it melts. Freshly grated cheese will give you a smoother sauce.
Storage
STORE: Store leftover sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. For the best texture, store the sauce and pasta separately when possible. (These are my favorite airtight containers.) REHEAT: To reheat the sauce on the stovetop, place it in a saucepan over low to medium-low heat. Add a couple of tablespoons of chicken broth, cream, or milk and stir frequently until warmed through. For individual portions, microwave the sauce in short intervals. Stir between each interval and add a little liquid if it becomes too thick. If you have already mixed the pasta and sauce together, add a splash of broth or cream before reheating. Pasta absorbs sauce as it sits, so this will help restore the creamy consistency. FREEZE: To freeze, let the sauce cool completely and transfer it to a freezer-safe container. Leave a little space at the top for expansion. Freeze for up to 3 months.How to Use Leftovers
Nutrition
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