The Ultimate Butternut Squash Pasta

When we think about autumn, we imagine the leaves changing colour on the trees, crisp mornings, pumpkin carving, and cosy nights with hot chocolate.

It’s also the perfect time of year to start using more root vegetables in your cooking – especially butternut squash. You may have used butternut squash for soups or roasted in the oven, but it also makes for a creamy and delicious pasta dish too.

Below, we’ll take you through each step to achieve the creamiest, tastiest butternut squash pasta, ideal for a warming autumnal meal.

Serves 2    –    Prep time 10 mins     –    Cooking time 30 – 40 mins

Ingredients

• 50g of butter or margarine
• ½ tbsp of olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 200ml of vegetable stock
• 1 medium – large butternut squash, deseeded and cut into equal sized chunks
• Ground spices including: nutmeg, cinnamon, sage, and salt and black pepper
• 150g of pasta of your choice (we used penne, but it also works well with tagliatelle or spaghetti)
• 50 – 100ml of single cream
• Grated parmesan or vegetarian / vegan alternative to serve

Method

1. Prepare the onion by dicing finely and then move onto the squash. Cut the ends off, slice length-ways down the middle, and deseed. Cut into equal sized chunks, not much bigger than 1cm
2. Make your stock (200ml)
3. Melt the butter and oil into a frying pan on a low – medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 – 4 minutes. Add a tablespoon of stock to soften the onions and then cook for a further 10 minutes. Continue to add a little stock every so often if the onions begin to stick
4. Add your butternut squash chunks to the onion and stock mixture. Cook for up to 40 minutes, or until the squash is soft enough to mash with a fork. Add your stock continuously to the pan whilst it cooks
5. Test your squash to see if it’s soft enough to mash. Using a fork, mash the entirety of the squash in the pan. Add the spices and salt and pepper into the mash mixture and continue to cook on a low heat
6. Whilst the mash mixture is cooking, boil some salted water in a separate pan and add your pasta. Cook for however long is required. Remember to keep some of the pasta water at the end of cooking
7. Once your pasta is cooked, drain it and add to the butternut squash mixture. Stir through, adding a little pasta water at a time to keep it silky and smooth
8. Add as much cream as you fancy (but don’t go overboard otherwise it will be too watery) and stir until everything is combined
9. Serve in large, shallow bowls and grate parmesan or your vegetarian / vegan alternative over the top. And enjoy!