Butternut Squash and Sage Pasta

Butternut Squash and Sage Pasta

This one is a proper autumn winner and we honestly make it on rotation when the evenings get cooler. Roasted butternut squash goes sweet and sticky in the oven, then gets blitzed into this gorgeous, velvety sauce that clings to every bit of pasta. The crispy sage leaves fried in olive oil take it somewhere really special, and the whole thing feels way more impressive than the effort involved. If you're looking for a cosy, crowd-pleasing dinner that'll have everyone asking for the recipe, this is it.

Cook: 50 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 200°C
  • Large baking sheet
  • Food processor
  • Large pot for pasta
  • Frying pan
  • Kitchen paper

Ingredients

  • 1kg butternut squash
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 bulb of garlic
  • 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 50ml water
  • 100ml pasta water
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 sprigs of sage
  • 500g pasta

Method

1

Prepare and roast the ingredients

  • Peel, trim, deseed and cut the squash into 1 inch cubes
  • Quarter the red onions
  • Put the squash cubes, red onion onion quarters and the whole garlic bulb on the baking sheet, drizzle with a little olive oil and roast for 25 minutes until cooked through, soft and sticky
2

Prepare the oil

  • Warm the oil in the frying pan over medium heat
  • Pick the sage leaves and add them, along with the naked stems to the pan and fry until the leaves are golden and crispy
  • Discard the stems and transfer the leaves to the kitchen paper-lined plate
  • Turn the heat right down to keep the oil warm
3

Start the sauce

  • Take the tray out of the oven and leave the contents to cool down until handleable
  • Take the red onion quarters and garlic cloves out of their skins and them to the food processor along with the butternut squash, nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar and 50 ml water
  • Blend until smooth and creamy
4

Prepare the pasta

  • Add the pasta to large pot of boiling salted water and cook over high heat according to packet instructions (approx 9 minutes)
5

Finish and serve

  • Warm the sage infused oil over medium heat, add the contents of the blender and simmer until gently bubbling
  • Add the pasta water and stir to combine
  • Transfer the pasta to the pan and fold to combine
  • Transfer the pasta to serving bowls, sprinkle over the reserved sage leaves, add a little drizzle of olive oil and serve immediately with a simple green salad

Tips & Variations

  • Get the roast right: Don't rush the oven stage. You want the squash to be soft and a little sticky at the edges before you blend it. That caramelisation is where the magic is.
  • Pasta water is your friend: Save a big mug of pasta cooking water before you drain it. Adding a splash when you toss the sauce through loosens everything up and helps it coat the pasta beautifully.
  • Make it your own: We love this topped with toasted pine nuts or a handful of rocket for a bit of freshness. A pinch of chilli flakes also works really well if you want a little kick.

Why This Works

The trick is roasting the squash, red onion and garlic together until they're properly caramelised and soft. That's where all the deep, sweet flavour comes from. Then when you blend it all up, you get this naturally creamy sauce without any cream at all, and those crispy sage leaves on top add a bit of texture and a herby hit that makes the whole dish sing.