Butternut squash is one of those fall flavors that I can never get enough of. It just tastes warm and homey to me. This “cheesy” (hint: it’s vegan) butternut squash pasta recipe is comfort food at its finest for a cozy fall day. Cashews and roasted butternut squash with hints of sage make this pasta dish creamy without the dairy. Pair it with your favorite pasta and enjoy on a chilly autumn night!

“Cheesy” Butternut Squash Pasta Ingredients

Pasta: This recipe calls for a pound of cooked pasta of your choice. To keep this recipe paleo, you’ll want to choose a paleo option like cassava pasta. If you are not following a paleo diet, then you can use any kind of pasta you’d like. I also love chickpea or red lentil pasta for a grain-free option!

Shallot & Garlic: A sautéed shallot and some garlic cloves bring the flavor of the butternut squash pasta sauce to the next level. I absolutely love using shallots for dishes like this, but you could also use a small yellow onion. If you like the pieces of shallot and garlic in the sauce you don’t have to blend it again, but I prefer to.

Vegan Butter: Once the shallot and garlic has simmered and become tender, adding in some vegan butter adds richness and a little saltiness to the sauce. If you aren’t vegan you can use regular butter here, but I’ve found that I love the Miyoko’s brand vegan butter – it’s so tasty!

Butternut Squash: Butternut squash is the star of this dish. For best results, I like to roast the peeled and seeded butternut squash in the oven in cubes until they get nice and browned to use for this recipe. I typically cut the squash into ~1/2-inch cubes, cover with oil, salt and pepper, and bake on 400 degrees for about 40 minutes.

Broth: To keep this recipe vegan, be sure to use vegetable broth for this recipe. However, if you are not vegan and would like another option, I have used chicken bone broth (I love Kettle and Fire bone broth) for this recipe and it tastes great too. If you don’t have any broth at all you could use water but it will be less flavorful.

Cashews: Using soaked cashews for the pasta sauce is what makes it super creamy and delicious. I recommend soaking all of the cashews in boiling water for at least 30 minutes in a jar before draining and adding to your blender. Alternatively, you could just soak the cashews overnight in the refrigerator.

Nutritional Yeast: If you’ve never used nutritional yeast before, it is a powdered yeast that tastes cheesy yet is 100% dairy-free. I love using nutritional yeast in my dairy-free recipes, and it also has great health benefits with high quality protein and B vitamins.

Spices: The spices you’ll need for this recipe are salt, black pepper and ground sage. I love how this sauce is so flavorful yet only needs a few spices. The ground sage adds that fall taste we all love in savory dishes and I even like to put some fried sage leaves on top of the pasta too.

How To Make “Cheesy” Butternut Squash Pasta

Step One: Begin by cooking the pasta by following the directions on the box. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water before draining it and set aside.

Step Two: Heat the avocado oil on a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the chopped shallot and garlic. Sauté until translucent and browning in the oil, then add in the vegan butter.

Step Three: Allow the butter to melt completely and simmer for a few minutes on low heat before transferring to a blender or food processor.

Step Four: Add the broth, soaked cashews, cooked butternut squash, nutritional yeast and spices to the blender as well, then blend everything on high speed until smooth.

Step Five: Use the reserved pasta water as needed to thin out the sauce to your desired consistency, then transfer the sauce to a large skillet. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet, mix to cover it all with the sauce and turn the burner on low heat to reheat.

Step Six: Let the pasta and sauce cook until warm and add additional pasta water as needed. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.

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