This is my recipe for a Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce. It’s pretty simple to make and it is also vegan and gluten-free! If you didn’t know it, you would think it contained dairy because of how creamy it is.
The other day I was dreaming of some cozy, creamy pasta (I had Mac & Cheese on the brain) when I spotted a lonely butternut squash sitting in my fruit bowl. That’s when the ideas started whirling in my brain and I got up and developed this recipe.
Butternut squash is a good source of fibre, vitamin E, thiamin, niacin, vitamin B-6, folate, pantothenic acid, manganese, and potassium. In fact, a cup of cubed butternut squash provides 582 mg of potassium, more than the amount available in a banana!
I added hemp seeds to this pasta sauce to make it extra creamy (and protein-rich!) and some chili flakes and smoked paprika for a little bit of spice and a whole lot of flavour.
This recipe also makes a lot of sauce. I may end up eating the extra as a soup or freezing it for later! Try it out and let me know what you think.
Creamy Vegan Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 medium Butternut Squash Peeled and cubed (About 4 cups)
- 1 Medium yellow onion Chopped
- 2 Garlic cloves Chopped/crushed
- 1/8 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Pepper
- 2 cups Water Or low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup Hemp Seeds
- 2 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium-sized saucepan
- Add the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is becoming translucent, about 3-4 minutes, then add the squash and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add the water and raise heat to medium-high. Bring the mixture to a light boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the squash is soft and the liquid is reduced by half, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Once the squash mixture is done cooking, remove it from the heat and let it cool slightly. Transfer the contents of the pan to a blender and add the hemp seeds, nutritional yeast, and smoked paprika.
- Blend until smooth. Be careful of the steam coming from the blender! If it needs a little help blending, add some water, broth, or non-dairy milk 1 tbsp at a time until it is smooth.
- Serve over your favourite pasta. Top with more hemp seeds!
*Note: You can change out the spices to whatever you like! I think sage or parsley would be a great addition.
Let me know if you end up making this Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce! Post a picture of it on Instagram and tag @Naturally_Makayla
As always, if you have any questions comment them below and I’ll answer the best that I can. If you’re searching for some of the ingredients, you can find them here: Nutritional Yeast, Smoked Paprika, Hemp Hearts
If you like this recipe, you may also like this Chili Lime Hummus or these Roasted Cauliflower Tacos.
