Last Updated on February 14, 2021

Thanksgiving is right around the corner! This time of the year, it seems to be all about pumpkins and many recipes call for canned pumpkin puree. We go for butternut squash instead 😆 This Butternut Squash & Sage Baked Pasta is so creamy, slightly sweet, has a woody green aroma from fresh sage and thyme! Perfect complement for a dish like Sausage & Herb Stuffing!

The Ingredients & The Brief Steps

[Roasted Butternut Squash]

• 1 butternut squash (about 3 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

[Vegetable & Herb Mixture]

• 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup diced yellow onion
• 1/4 cup packed fresh sage leaves, minced
• 1/2 tbsp minced fresh thyme
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

[The Sauce]

• 3 cups unsweetened almond milk (or other unsweetened, non-flavored nut milk)
• Roasted Butternut Squash (see above)
• Vegetable & Herb Mixture (see above)
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder (optional)
• 1 1/2 tsp salt (more/less to taste)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

We commonly use cinnamon but decided not to because we had a dessert made with it. Although, we love cinnamon, it’s kind of boring when everything tastes almost the same especially the strong scent which dominates the overall profile of the dish.

[The Rest]

• 1 pound pipe rigate (or other short pasta of your choice)
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• Extra virgin olive oil

The Regret on Bread Crumbs

The idea of making our own using the leftover bread from making Sausage & Herb Stuffing was great! We dried them overnight and toasted them in the oven so it seemed that was gonna go well. BUT, it was such a messy job with pieces of bread flying all over the place and we couldn’t even make the size of crumbs evenly…some became powdery and some were so big. We didn’t know what we were doing so we started with using a food processor which was a huge mistake, then used a pestle to crush the remaining large pieces that was an another mistake. Then, finally we ended up using a rolling pin…at this point it was already too late since most parts were the consistency of powder rather than crumbs. As a result, we couldn’t even get the crunchy texture that we were looking for. 😯 What a disaster! We definitely need to improve the skills of making bread crumbs.

Oh well, at least there was no food waste and also the taste was fantastic! —-minus the crunchy toppings.

Print Recipe

5 from 11 votes

Butternut Squash & Sage Baked Pasta

Butternut Squash & Sage Baked Pasta is so creamy, slightly sweet, has a woody green aroma from fresh sage and thyme! It's a perfect holiday dish to bring to parties or savor on your own with a lot of leftovers!

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Total Time2 hours hrs

Course: Entree, Lunch, Dinner

Cuisine: Vegan, American Inspired, Holiday

Servings: 6 people

Author: Plant-Based Matters

Ingredients

Roasted Butternut Squash

• 1 butternut squash (about 3 pounds) peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Vegetable & Herb Mixture

• 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup diced yellow onion
• 1/4 cup packed fresh sage leaves minced
• 1/2 tbsp minced fresh thyme
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

The Sauce

• 3 cups unsweetened almond milk or other unsweetened, non-flavored nut milk
• Roasted Butternut Squash see above
• Vegetable & Herb Mixture see above
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder optional
• 1 1/2 tsp salt (more/less to taste)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

The Rest

• 1 pound pipe rigate or other short pasta of your choice
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• Extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

• Preheat the oven for 425 °F.
• Place butternut squash on baking sheets in a single layer. Pour extra virgin olive oil then season with salt ant black pepper. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Let it cool down and set aside.
• Reduce the oven heat setting to 400 °F for the final bake later.
• In a large pot, start boiling water for cooking pipe rigate.
• In the meantime, make the vegetable & mixture. Heat up a frying pan at medium heat. Pour extra virgin olive oil then add garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Next, add yellow onion, sage, thyme, and nutmeg. Cook for 3-4 minutes until onions are slightly brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Start cooking pipe rigate in salted water 1-2 minutes shorter than the directions for al-dente on the package. (It will continue to cook in the oven when you bake.)
• Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. In a large capacity high-speed blender (such as Vitamix), combine almond milk, the roasted butternut squash, the vegetable & herb mixture, nutritional yeast, all-purpose flour, nutmeg, cinnamon (optional), salt, and black pepper. Blend until smooth. If it’s too thick add more almond milk and adjust the seasoning.
• Drain pipe rigate in a colander and transfer back to the same pot. Add the sauce and mix until well coated.
• Pour the mixture into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Spread out evenly. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top and drizzle some extra virgin olive oil. Cover with a foil and bake it at 400 °F for 20-25 minutes on the center rack. Then uncover and back for another 10-15 minutes on the upper rack until the top is crunchy and golden brown.
• Let it cool down a little before serving.

Notes

• You can adjust the amount of each herbs to your preference. Fresh herbs can be substitute with dry herbs by using less amount because the flavor of dry herbs is more concentrated.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @plantbased_matters or tag #plantbased_matters!