Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce

Creamy, savory, and surprisingly easy to make this Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce is perfect for your next cozy meal! Not just delicious but healthy too this pasta sauce has a ton of veggies and is made with no heavy creams!

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Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce Recipe

Butternut squash pasta sauce has a velvety texture and naturally sweet flavor that make it a perfect accompaniment for various pasta dishes. Packed with nutrients, this homemade butternut squash pasta sauce is not only delicious but also healthy. Naturally vegan this butternut squash pasta sauce focuses on the sweetness of butternut squash, the savoriness of tomatoes, and the flavors of a few spices to make a perfectly balanced sauce ready for your favorite pasta!

This sauce is a copycat version for a butternut squash pasta sauce that I picked up at the famous Eataly in Boston. I loved this version of the butternut squash because it was balanced really nicely with tomatoes instead of just the squash with a bunch of heavy cream. So this version has no creams but has a ton of delicious flavor!

ingredients

• Butternut Squash – Originally cultivated from a mix of a pumpkin and a gooseneck squash, butternut squash has only been around since the 1940’s and has skyrocketed in popularity. Butternut Squash has a taste similar to a pumpkin and can be made sweet or savory. I give you tips on how to cut a butternut squash below but if you are lucky enough some store will sell it already peeled and seeds removed, and some will even sell it pre-diced!
• Onion – I think a sweet or yellow onion works best in this sauce.
• Olive Oil – Olive oil of course a staple of any pasta sauce.
• Kosher Salt – Or sea salt. Make sure you taste that sauce at the end to see if it needs more salt.
• Dried Basil & Dried Oregano – Basil and oregano are the herbs used to season this sauce, I find that dried works well in a sauce like this because the flavor is more concentrated. Feel free to add other seasonings you might like too like rosemary or thyme.
• Garlic – Of course garlic, i found that 5 cloves was good without the garlic overpowering but feel free to use more if you are a big garlic person!
• Peeled and Crushed Kitchen Ready Tomatoes – A large can of the kitchen ready tomatoes, you could also use canned whole tomatoes as well, you will just have to watch those more during the cooking process.

For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

How to Cut and Peel a Butternut Squash

Butternut squashes can be a pain to cut but there is a hack that makes it way easy, the microwave oven! Softening the squash in the microwave for 3 to 4 minutes softens the squash just enough that it makes the process a lot easier.

To do this start by piercing the squash with a fork of knife in a few places around the squash making sure you puncture the skin. Much like a potato if you don’t do this the squash might explode.

Once the squash is poked transfer it to the microwave and cook it for 3 to 4 minutes. Let it rest for another 3 to 4 minutes because it will be hot, so be careful!

Use a towel to hold the squash in place and peel the squash with a vegetable peeler. Once peeled carefully cut the squash in half the long way, hopefully the microwave has softened it enough this shouldn’t be too hard.

Once it is in half remove the seeds with a spoon. Then continue to cut the squash into cubes!

instructions

You can make this delicious sauce either on the stovetop of in the instant pot, whichever you prefer. Both work really well!

Stovetop Instructions

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the olive oil and onion until soft about 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the salt, basil, oregano, and garlic sauté for 1 minute. 

Add the diced squash, canned tomatoes, and 1 cup of water. Mix well. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce to a simmer at a medium-low temperature. Cook covered about 40 minutes stirring occasionally.

Once the squash is very tender use an immersion blender to blend until smooth or alternatively use a stand blender in batches to blend the sauce smooth. If it seems like your sauce simmered down too much and the sauce is too think add a little more water.

While still warm mix with your favorite pasta noodles! This sauce is great piled high with a bunch of parmesan cheese and fresh cracked black pepper.

Pressure Cooker/Instant Pot Instructions:

Turn the Instant Pot onto SAUTÉ mode. Once hot add the olive oil and onion to the Instant Pot. Sauté 3 to 5 minutes until the onion has started to soften.

Add the salt, basil, oregano, and garlic sauté for 1 minute. 

Add the diced squash, canned tomatoes, and 1 cup water. Mix well.

Cancel SAUTÉ mode. Put the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the valve is on seal. Set the Instant Pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK mode for 15 minutes.

Once the 15 minutes are done, NATURAL RELEASE the steam valve for 10 minutes and let the steam escape. Remove the lid carefully once the valve has dropped.

Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth or alternatively use a stand blender in batches to blend the sauce smooth.

While still warm mix with your favorite pasta noodles! This sauce is great piled high with a bunch of parmesan cheese and fresh cracked black pepper.

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