Creamy (vegan!) Butternut Squash Linguine with Fried Sage
Spiced and creamy (yet cream-less) butternut squash sauce tossed with whole grain linguine. Top with fried sage for a healthy, comforting meal.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
My dog, Cookie, and I have been visiting the vet three times a week lately. We donโt mind the excursion. The girls behind the desk are fun to be around and Cookie loves the attention. She has quickly become a staff favorite (of course!). Itโs also a prime spot for people watching. I always feel like Iโm experiencing that 101 Dalmations scene where all of the dogs match their owners, remember that one?
The manly men bring in their 80-pound manly-man breeds who shake their heads like lions. Eccentrically dressed older ladies wait with their dachshunds and shaggy little dogs. A beautiful, elegant blond woman picks up her equally elegant and blond mystery breed. The lady with a high-pitched voice and nervous laugh tells me about her rat terrier. I suppose Cookie and I match, too. I will shamelessly admit that we both have great hair, and it doesnโt hurt that Iโm always dressed in black or gray.
During the more dull moments, Iโve spent a fair amount of time flipping through Instagram photos and glancing at the heart worm brochures on the side table. I grabbed the February issue of Bon Appetit before I left for our last appointment so I would have something to read while I waited. Iโm glad I did, because I was reminded of the butternut squash carbonara that I had dog-eared earlier.
How to Make Vegan Butternut Squash Linguine
Bon Appetitโs recipe called for pancetta and chicken broth, but I knew I could easily make it vegetarian and amp up the flavor with spices. The cooking technique is what really caught my eyeโbasically, you make a butternut purรฉe while you cook pasta, then marry the two together in a warm pan with the help of some starchy reserved pasta cooking water. Genius, right? Itโs even easier to make than the bรฉchamel that I made for my pumpkin fettuccine alfredo.
The best part is that the purรฉed squash is rich and luxuriously creamy without any cream at all. I also used whole grain pasta, which further prevented the steamroller after-effects of eating a giant bowl of creamy carbs. Make this before the weather warms up! If youโre in the market for more lightened-up, creamy pasta recipes, be sure to check out my cookbook.
Watch How to Make Creamy Butternut Squash Linguine
Creamy (vegan!) Butternut Squash Linguine with Fried Sage
Spiced and creamy (yet cream-less) butternut squash sauce tossed with whole grain linguine. Top with fried sage for a healthy, comforting main dish. Serve with salad or roasted vegetables to further lighten up the meal. Recipe yields 4 large servings.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
- 2 pound butternut or kabocha squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into small ยฝ-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed or chopped
- โ teaspoon red pepper flakes (up to ยผ teaspoon for spicier pasta sauce)
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 12 ounces whole grain linguine or fettucine
- Optional additional garnishes: shaved Parmesan or Pecorino and/or smoked salt
Instructions
- Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the sage and toss to coat. Let the sage get crispy before transferring it to a small bowl. Sprinkle it lightly with salt and set the bowl aside.
- Add the squash, onion, garlic and red pepper flakes to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the squash is soft and the liquid is reduced by half, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente according to package directions, stirring occasionally. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining.
- 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, but keep the skillet handy. Purรฉe the mixture until smooth (beware of hot steam escaping from the top of the blender), then season with salt and pepper until the flavors sing.
- In the reserved skillet, combine the pasta, squash purรฉe and ยผ cup cooking liquid. Cook over medium heat, tossing and adding more pasta cooking water as needed, until the sauce coats the pasta, about 2 minutes. Season with more salt and pepper if necessary.
- Serve the pasta in individual bowls topped with fried sage, more black pepper and shaved Parmesan/Pecorino and/or smoked salt, if desired.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetitโs Winter Squash Carbonara with Pancetta and Sage (February 2014).
Make it vegan: Skip the cheese garnish.
Make it gluten-free: Use gluten-free pasta. Commenter Jenn recommends corn and quinoa blended gluten-free pasta, which is firmer than brown rice pasta.
Change it up: The squash purรฉe is a killer bisque, which you could thin with vegetable broth if youโd like. You could also stir it into risotto at the end of cooking.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionistโs advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This recipe is so good! I would recommend substituting the yogurt/sour cream for a splash of heavy cream. I also served this over mushroom ravioli, yum! Definitely an instant classic in my house!
Wow! I just made this for dinner & it was absolutely phenomenal. I made a couple adjustments โ baked the squash/onion/garlic & used spaghetti, but it still turned out delicious. Thank you for a fabulous vegan dinner! Xoxo.
This is beyond delicious! My 1.5 year old daughter enjoyed it as well. Thanks Kate!
Youโre welcome, Madison!
It is not vegan if you add cheese on top
Hi, you donโt add the cheese :)
Can you make the sauce in advance and freeze it?
I havenโt tried it so Iโm not sure. If you try it, let me know!
I love so many recipes on this site! There are so many options for gluten-free and vegan. And I thank you Kate for all the work you have done. But I am very sorry to say that this recipe did not work well for me at all I didnโt like the flavor or the texture. I know a lot of people really liked it.
Iโm sorry you didnโt love this recipe. I appreciate your feedback.
has anyone made this using dried sage? thatโs all I currently have!
Has anyone made this in advance and kept in the fridge or freezer as I want to make it to have this week?
I am going to make the creamy squash linguine tomorrow. It sounds delicious. Iโd like to know if itโs possible to make the squash portion ahead of time. Once the pasta is cooked, the pasta water would warm up the squash and the remains steps could be completed. Thank you. Maureen
Not a fan, unfortunately. The texture and flavour were not to my liking and I struggled to eat a whole plate of it. It got gooey quick.
Iโm sorry to hear you didnโt love this recipe, Rachel.
This is SO very delicious! Iโm obsessed with the crunchy sage leaves. I went a bit heavy on the red pepper flakes and really liked that added kick. This is going on my favorites list. I just love your recipes. Thank you!
Thatโs great to hear, Rebecca! Thank you for your review.
This was SO good and feels like fall. I added roasted tofu and sun dried tomatoes, plus I used an immersion blender to pureรฉ the sauce instead of transferring it to a standing blender. Worked great. I always trust your recipes!
I made this and we didnโt really like it :( the base recipe really lacks the umami that a butternut pasta dish needs in my opinion. However I stirred in some nutritional yeast and it boosted the flavor profile significantly, so Iโd recommend any vegans to try that or others to add some ricotta/parmesan cheese for sure. Also careful on the pepper, it will overpower the dish very quickly if you add too much. Iโd honestly just omit the pepper. Probably wonโt be making this again :/
Iโm sorry to hear that. Thank you for your feedback, Colin.
This has stayed in my top 5 favorite plant based meals since going vegan in 2018. I triple the fried sage because it is so yummy on it and I always make sure to have plenty for every helping.