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 minutesmins
Cook Time1 hourhr40 minutesmins
Total Time2 hourshrs
Course: Entree, Lunch, Dinner
Cuisine: Vegan, American Inspired, Holiday
Servings: 6people
Author: Plant-Based Matters
Ingredients
Roasted Butternut Squash
1butternut squash (about 3 pounds)peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1tbspextra virgin olive oil
1/2tspsalt
1/4tspblack pepper
Vegetable & Herb Mixture
1/2tbspextra virgin olive oil
4clovesgarlicminced
1cupdiced yellow onion
1/4cuppacked fresh sage leavesminced
1/2tbspminced fresh thyme
1/4tspfreshly ground nutmeg
The Sauce
3cupsunsweetened almond milkor other unsweetened, non-flavored nut milk
Roasted Butternut Squashsee above
Vegetable & Herb Mixturesee above
3tbspnutritional yeast
1tbspall-purpose flour
1/4 – 1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/2tspcinnamon powderoptional
1 1/2tspsalt(more/less to taste)
1/2tspblack pepper
The Rest
1poundpipe rigateor other short pasta of your choice
1/3 - 1/2cupbread 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.