This pasta with roasted butternut squash uses an amazing combination of flavors that will switch up your boring pasta routine. Bonus that it's so easy!
This post was sponsored by NOW Foods but the content and opinions expressed are fully my own.
This post was originally published on 11/12/2015
This easy fall themed pasta dish has a unique mix of flavors. I love the combination of the flavors and the added greens make this a great all in one meal!
Vegan Butternut Squash Pasta
Throwing together pasta dinners is a common occurrence in our house, so I'm always coming up with different combos to keep things exciting. While we love my creamy butternut squash pasta, I wanted something without the creamy factor this time. This recipe includes the use of sesame oil, just a touch because a little goes a really long way with flavor.
Sesame oil is usually part of Asian cooking, but in this non Asian recipe, I loved the combo of it with the sweetness of the butternut squash. Throw in the buttery pine nuts and sweet touch of the currants and it's a fabulous combo!
Can I prep this recipe ahead of time?
Yes! It's a great recipe to prep ahead. Here is how I make my nights easier by having all the parts ready:
- I make the veggie mix by roasting, cooling it off completely and storing in an airtight container.
- When I am ready to make this recipe, I reheat the veggie mix either in the microwave or putting it back in the oven for a short time.
- I cook the pasta, then throw in the spinach like the directions say.
- Then mix all together and top with my awesome vegan Parmesan!
How do I roast butternut squash?
The key with roasting veggies, especially winter squash, is making sure the pieces are similar in size. Butternut is a tougher squash so I have a certain way to do it so it's a bit easier.
- Using a vegetable peeler, peel the tough outer skin until you get to the orange part.
- Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with an ice cream scooper.
- Lay cut side down and cut it in uniform slices.
- Chop each slice into small cubes. The smaller they are, the faster they will cook.
- Bake at 400 F/ 200 C until soft in the middle and crispy on the edge. It will caramelize a bit if you let it get a little crisp.
What is the best pasta to use?
When it comes to pasta, we like to stick to mostly gluten free at home since we can't handle too much gluten. But with gluten free pasta, it varies SO much on what is good and what isn't.
One of my top picks, is the Living Now Quinoa Penne. This pasta has great texture, much like your normal run of mill pasta. It's made with rice, quinoa and amaranth. I love that they use amaranth in it! My kids devour it, which is the final topper for me.
Another bonus is that it is free of the 8 major common allergens, making it awesome for anyone out there with multiple allergies!
How to Make Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash
This butternut squash and spinach pasta is super easy to make. The oven does most of the work so you can move on to more important tasks, homework, laundry, you get the drill!
- Roast the butternut squash.
- Make the pasta.
- Mix all together.
- Serve!
What else can I serve this with?
Can I sub in other veggies or nuts?
Yes! Any veggies you have in your fridge would work great, here are some suggestions:
- cauliflower
- kale
- zucchini
- acorn squash
- pumpkin
- sweet potatoes
- brussels sprouts
If you don't want to use pine nuts, here are some other nuts that would work well:
- walnuts
- pistachios
- pecans
Here are some other pasta recipes you may love!
- Vegan Butternut Squash Lasagna Roll Ups
- Vegan pasta puttanesca
- Roasted veggies and pasta
- Green mac and cheese
Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- 4 cups chopped butternut squash , about 1 small squash
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- 1 cup pine nuts , use less for lower fat version
- 1 cup currants
- 6 cloves garlic , chopped
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 16 ounces of your favorite pasta (I use NOW Foods brand)
- Grateable Vegan Parmesan , optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C
- Combine butternut squash, garlic, sesame oil, thyme and salt in a large bowl. Mix well.
- Roast for 30 minutes. Add pine nuts and currants and sift around to incorporate in. Roast another 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions. Put fresh spinach at the bottom of a pasta strainer. When pasta is ready pour hot water and pasta over the spinach to slightly “cook” it.
- Pour cooked pasta and spinach into a large bowl and add roasted squash mix. Combine well and serve topped with vegan Parmesan.
Notes
- To get the diverse flavor in this recipe sesame oil is a must, however if you don’t use oil, feel free to roast with veggie broth and add some sesame seeds for some flavor. However the overall taste will be altered.
- Wash and chop all veggies and herbs.
- Puree roasted butternut squash, add garlic, thyme and spinach if desired. For older baby, cook pasta until slightly overdone and soft. Chop in a food processor with butternut squash, spinach, garlic and thyme.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Paul
The colours in this dish look so vibrant in your pictures. This looks and sounds like the perfect dish for this time of year
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Paul! No color enhancement at all! I loved how pretty it was.
Cris
You are not the only one. I also love both butternut squash and pasta. 🙂 Pinned it!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Cris!! Isn't it so good?!
Revathi Palani
Didn't know such a pasta existed. Seems like something interesting to try. The dish looks gorgeous with all ingredients cooked perfectly. love it 🙂
veggiesdontbite
Thank you! It's a great pasta. And the combo of flavors is so good!
Kristina
congrats on the new pasta partnership! this looks perfect, some of my favorite things in here. I really need to address my pasta craving, ha!
veggiesdontbite
Yes, yes you do...you must address it fast before the crazy sets in! LOL!
Mel @ avirtualvegan.com
My name is Mel and I too am a pastaholic.
I would be in heaven with a massive bowl of this for dinner. That quinoa pasta looks great. I will look out for it at the store.
veggiesdontbite
Glad to know I am not the only one 😉 The pasta is delicious! You can buy it online!
Anne Murphy
That sounds like a lovely combination (and it's all in my kitchen right now...)
I had a chance to sample that pasta and was impressed by the texture - not mushy at all. Haven't cooked it myself, yet, though I have high hopes! (I can't stand the texture of rice pasta...)
veggiesdontbite
What a lucky coincidence Anne!! It's such a good combo! Isn't the pasta great?! Not mushy AT all right?? I'm not a huge fan of the plain rice pasta either. I swear this one tastes just like regular pasta!
nicole
What a great combination of flavors! My boyfriend loves butternut squash -- can't wait to make this for him. thanks for sharing 🙂
veggiesdontbite
Hi Nicole! Thank you so much! You'll love this. It's such a good combo flavor! Are you Greek?? So am I! I'm first generation here in the US! Let me know if you try this and what you thought!
The Vegan 8
Looks delicious! Love the colors! I always eat sweet potatoes with spinach, so I imagine the butternut squash would be excellent too. I actually LOVE brown rice pasta because it holds up better than all other GF pastas I've tried. I have thought all the 100% quinoa pastas I've tried are disgusting, they have an off taste and the texture is mealy, so I'm curious what a combo would taste like of the two. Does it taste like quinoa?
veggiesdontbite
Thank you friend! The wilted spinach is great, but the real flavor standout is the sesame oil roasted with the squash. It's SO awesome. I know you'd love it! This pasta is nothing like other quinoa pastas. The texture is not mealy at all. It's much like regular pasta. I think you'd like it! I don't taste quinoa at all.
The Food Hunter
This looks so tasty! I love the combination
veggiesdontbite
Thanks so much! It's a great combo!
Kelly @ TastingPage
What a lovely bowl of fall. I love it all - right down to the quinoa penne!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Kelly! The penne is great!
Sara -The Organic Dietitian
Never thought to put currants into pasta but why not? Yum
veggiesdontbite
Right?! I didn't either until I thought about my moms rice stuffing (also on the blog) and how much I liked it. It goes fabulous with the sesame and thyme flavors!
Shiho
That pasta looks delicious. Since my daughter want to try vegan, we will make this recipe. Thank you for sharing. I hope we can find similar pasta in Australia.
veggiesdontbite
Thank you so much! Any pasta you find in Australia should work well. Let me know how it goes!
Jenn
YUM!! I like the idea of adding sesame oil...such a unique wonderful flavor. My friend just told me Trader Joe's has a Quinoa Brown Rice Pasta too and she really liked it! I've got to try one of these brands soon!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Jenn! The sesame oil is awesome. I've tried that TJ pasta and it's ok. It's still a little too brown ricey for me. Lol.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Oooo I haven't tried their pasta yet, but yum! I love the dried fruits!! That such a great chewy pop!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Rebecca!! You'll love it. It has a great texture and I love the fact that it's just white. Sometimes kids are super visual so to have it look like regular pasta is a plus. Yes, the currants really add good depth here! It was a hit at a dinner party I had not long ago!
Linda @ Veganosity
I haven't tried this brand of quinoa pasta. I need to, because so many others end up sticky and glue like. Thanks for the tip! This dish is so colorful and looks so good, Sophia. I can't wait to try it!
veggiesdontbite
We like it! It's new and I thought it was quite good. I am not a fan of plain brown rice, so we typically use only the ancient grain or quinoa ones. Thanks so much! This is a perfect combo of flavors!