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Take simple spaghetti to the next level with creamy butternut squash pasta sauce.
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:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/SRHeadshots-EliseBauer-5c36c598a88d4ba3bff66260a792ea47.jpg "Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta Is the Ultimate Cozy Fall Dinner (2)")
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One of the best things about fall is the abundance of pumpkins and hardy winter squash. Ever wonder why winter squash is called "winter" squash when it first makes its appearance in the fall?
Perhaps because if stored in a cool place, they'll last several months, well into winter.
Butternut squash is the queen of winter squashes. The taste is so good, and so consistent, that from what I understand, most "canned pumpkin" that we use to make pumpkin pie is actually made with a variety of pumpkin more akin to the butternut squash than to the pumpkins we use for jack-o-lanterns.
Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce
The ever fabulous Garrett came over recently with a pint of roasted butternut squash purée and a mission to create a pasta sauce with it — a butternut squash pasta sauce.
We often find butternut squash inside of ravioli, so why not on the outside for a butternut squash pasta dish?
It just needed to be thinned a bit with water, made savory with Parmesan, and brightened with some sour cream and parsley.
The resulting butternut squash pasta plate was absolutely delicious, and I ate the leftover butternut squash sauce with a spoon straight out the fridge for days.
Pasta With Butternut Squash Parmesan Sauce
Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time60 mins
Total Time90 mins
Servings4to 6 servings
This butternut pasta sauce will work with any pasta, but spaghetti is an especially good pairing.
Be careful when you cut the squash, winter squash are hard! The best way to do it safely is to slice a bit off of both ends so that you can stand the squash upright without it rolling. Then cut down the middle. See how to cut and peel a butternut squash for visuals, though note for this recipe you do not want to peel the squash before roasting.
It also helps if you have a microwave, to microwave the whole squash for a minute before cutting into it. This will lightly soften the outside of the squash, making it easier to cut it.
Ingredients
1 butternut squash weighing about 2 1/2 pounds
1 pound pasta
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup chopped shallots or onions
1/4 cup packed, freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon chopped parsley, for garnish
1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
Pepper, to taste
Water as needed to thin the sauce, about 1 cup
Method
Bake the butternut squash:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut the butternut squash lengthwise in half and scoop out the guts and seeds and discard them (or save the seeds and toast them).
Pour 1/4 cup of water into a baking dish and place the butternut squash halves cut side down.
Bake for 40 minutes or until a fork easily pierces the squash. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Scoop out the squash flesh from the skins and put into a blender. Discard the skins.
Sauté the shallots:
in the olive oil over medium heat in a small skillet until just beginning to brown, about 2-3 minutes.
Purée in blender:
Add the shallots to the blender. Add 1 cup water, the parmesan, 1 teaspoons salt and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg and blend until smooth. Taste and add more salt if needed. If the sauce is too thick, thin it with a little more water.
Add sour cream and heat until warm:
Pour the sauce into a small pot set over low heat. Mix in the sour cream and warm it through. Do not let the sauce boil.
Cook pasta in boiling salted water:
Fill a pot with water and salt (1 tablespoon of salt for every 2 quarts of water). Set over high heat to bring to a hard boil. Add the pasta and cook at a hard boil, uncovered until al dente.
Mix cooked pasta with sauce:
When the pasta is ready, drain and put it into a bowl. Mix with a little of the sauce and serve. Add a dollop of additional sauce and some parsley right when you bring it to the table.
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- Pasta Sauces
- Vegetarian Dinners
- Lent
- Pastas
- Butternut Squash
| Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 427 | Calories |
| 7g | Fat |
| 79g | Carbs |
| 13g | Protein |
Show Full Nutrition Label
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| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 4to 6 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 427 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 7g | 9% |
| Saturated Fat 2g | 12% |
| Cholesterol 11mg | 4% |
| Sodium 482mg | 21% |
| Total Carbohydrate 79g | 29% |
| Dietary Fiber 9g | 31% |
| Total Sugars 7g | |
| Protein 13g | |
| Vitamin C 30mg | 151% |
| Calcium 148mg | 11% |
| Iron 4mg | 21% |
| Potassium 763mg | 16% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.
