Spicy Butternut Squash Pasta

With a hefty serving of vegetables, this 7-ingredient, Spicy Butternut Squash Pasta is a quick and easy vegan side dish.

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In this simple dish, butternut squash is roasted and then blended with a delicious and aromatic blend of spices in coconut milk.

The resulting butternut squash sauce is insanely delicious. So delicious, I want to put it on ALL the things! Added to pasta, it makes for a flavorful and comforting dish. By the way, there is no cheese or dairy of any kind in this simple pasta dish. This dish is packed with 8 grams of plant protein per serving.

What are the ingredients needed to make this spicy butternut squash pasta?

The following 7 ingredients, most of which you might already have, are needed for this easy, comforting dish:

1. Butternut squash
   I used peeled and cubed butternut squash in this recipe (see below for how to cut a fresh medium butternut squash).
2. Ginger
   Chopped fresh ginger works best in this recipe.
3. Coriander
   I used ground coriander.
4. Smoked paprika
   Smoky ground smoked paprika added so much flavor to the sauce.
5. Coconut milk
   Full-fat coconut milk is the reason this sauce is so creamy.
6. Pasta
   I used gluten-free pasta for this recipe.
7. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
   This was used to roast the butternut squash.

I added salt and black pepper to taste. I also used some parsley to garnish this pasta.

Substitutions

Butternut squash
This is the star ingredient. However, if you do not have any butternut squash, then you could use pumpkin instead.

Spices
I used a mix of fresh ginger, ground coriander, and smoked paprika. However, the fresh ginger could be replaced with 1/2 a cup of chopped onion or 2 garlic cloves. The coriander could be replaced with cumin. And the smoked paprika could be replaced with paprika or harissa.

Coconut milk
Full-fat coconut milk is such a perfect dairy-free milk for this recipe. However, if you don’t have any, it could be replaced with cashew milk, almond milk, milk, or heavy cream.

Pasta
As for pasta, whichever tubular pasta you prefer would work well with this comforting sauce.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
The EVOO can be replaced with some vegan butter, avocado oil, or any oil that you prefer to roast vegetables with.

How to cut butternut squash?

Butternut squash is so incredibly budget-friendly and versatile. And, it is loaded with nutrients. But it can be a tricky vegetable to chop up and enjoy because of its incredibly hard and slippery outer skin.

A few years ago, I saw this Instagram post on how to chop a butternut squash. I even tried it. However, the method that I prefer to cut a butternut squash, especially when I am in a hurry, involves a microwave.

Start by piercing the skin of a large butternut squash with a fork.

Then, place the butternut squash on a microwave-safe dish and microwave it for 3 minutes.

Carefully remove it from the microwave.

At this point, it should be easier to slice off the ends and use a vegetable peeler to peel off the thick outer skin.

Then, slice it in half and remove any seeds and guts. Then, chop the butternut squash into bite-size chunks.

Now that we have the butternut squash cubed, let’s move on to making this pasta…

Instructions to make this tasty pasta

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 2: Line a baking tray with foil.

Step 3: Add the cubed butternut squash onto the sheet pan.

Step 4: Toss the butternut squash cubes in the olive oil and bake them on the parchment paper or foil-lined sheet pan for 25 minutes.

Step 5: While the butternut squash bakes, add some water to a large pan and place it on a stovetop set to medium heat. Bring it to a boil. While it is at an active simmer, add your pasta to the water and cook it according to package instructions. When the pasta is al dente, drain it (reserve a cup of the pasta water) and set the pasta aside in a serving bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and covered with a tight-fitting lid.

Step 6: And, also while the butternut squash is baking, peel the fresh ginger and grate it using a microplane grater. If a microplane grater isn’t available, then finely dice the peeled ginger and set it aside.

Step 7: Remove the roasted butternut squash from the oven and add it to a food processor or blender. Then, add in the coconut milk, smoked paprika, coriander, and grated ginger. Blend on high till mixture is creamy.

Step 8: Add this spicy butternut squash sauce to the cooked pasta and stir it well. If the sauce is too thick, use about a quarter cup of the reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce. You could use some vegetable broth instead of the pasta water.

Step 9: Season this spicy butternut squash pasta with salt (or kosher salt) and black pepper to taste.

Completely optional is to serve it with a sprinkling of chopped curly or flat leaf parsley.

Serving suggestions

With only 231 Calories, this spicy butternut squash pasta is a tasty vegan side dish that can be served with some of this air-fried tofu (or this marry me tofu) and a simple baby spinach salad for a delicious vegan meal.

It can also be served topped with some vegan parmesan cheese, parmesan, or fresh mozzarella and garnished with some basil and red pepper flakes or chopped jalapeño.

This dish can also be paired with this cilantro chicken or this pineapple pork for a hearty non-vegan dinner.

Thanks so much for stopping by. If you make this recipe, please let me know in the comments below what you think of it, or tag your creation on social media with @savoryspin or #savoryspin.
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Easy Spicy Butternut Squash Pasta

3.78 from 9 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Shashi

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With a hefty serving of vegetables, this 7-ingredient, Spicy Butternut Squash Pasta is a quick and easy vegan side dish.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups butternut squash cubes (see post on how to cut a fresh butternut squash)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 3/4 cup coconut milk
• 4 oz pasta (cooked according to package directions)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• parsley for garnish

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Line a baking tray with foil.
• Add the cubed butternut squash onto the sheet pan.
• Toss the butternut squash cubes in the olive oil and bake them on the parchment paper or foil-lined sheet pan for 25 minutes.
• While the butternut squash bakes, add some water to a large pan and place it on a stovetop set to medium heat. Bring it to a boil. While it is at an active simmer, add your pasta to the water and cook it according to package instructions. When the pasta is al dente, drain it (reserve a cup of the pasta water) and set the pasta aside in a serving bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and covered with a tight-fitting lid.
• And, also while the butternut squash is baking, peel the fresh ginger and grate it using a microplane grater. If a microplane grater isn’t available, then finely dice the peeled ginger and set it aside.
• Remove the roasted butternut squash from the oven and add it to a food processor or blender. Then, add in the coconut milk, smoked paprika, coriander, and grated ginger. Blend on high till mixture is creamy.
• Add this spicy butternut squash sauce to the cooked pasta and stir it well.
• If the sauce is too thick, use about a quarter cup of the reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce. You could use some vegetable broth instead of the pasta water.
• Season this spicy butternut squash pasta with salt (or kosher salt) and black pepper to taste.
• Completely optional is to serve it with a sprinkling of chopped curly or flat leaf parsley.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 231kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Sodium: 12mg | Potassium: 478mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 9550IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 2mg

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