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 don’t 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!). It’s also a prime spot for people watching. I always feel like I’m 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 doesn’t hurt that I’m always dressed in black or gray.
During the more dull moments, I’ve 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. I’m 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 Appetit’s 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 eye—basically, you make a butternut purée 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? It’s even easier to make than the béchamel that I made for my pumpkin fettuccine alfredo.
The best part is that the puréed 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 you’re 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 ½-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed or chopped
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes (up to ¼ 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. Purée 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 purée and ¼ 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 Appetit’s 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 purée is a killer bisque, which you could thin with vegetable broth if you’d 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 nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I think this would be stunning on zucchini noodles, too! Yum!
That would lighten the dish up, for sure!
I had pinned the Bon Appetit one, and now I’m pinning yours, too! Glad to hear that Cookie is doing well and bringing joy to the vet staff. :-)
I noticed this recipe and the magazine, but unfortunately got side tracked and forgot about it. Thanks for the reminder!! I love your adaptation, this looks so comforting and delicious!
Sweet squash and earthy sage are such a classic combination! This pasta sounds wonderful–definitely perfect for a lazy Friday night dinner. :)
I love the way you describe your trips to the vet – I don’t mind them either! They’re definitely interesting. I love the look of this meal! I’ve made a few pasta dishes with squash, but this looks like a keeper! Have a great weekend :)
This looks and sounds so lovely! I love pasta dishes that are flavorful yet still somewhat healthy. I hope Cookie is feeling better!
Thanks, Amanda! Cookie is doing much better!
Kate this looks amazing! These photos are beautiful and I love the that you used linguine. I can just imagine twirling it around on my fork right now. Soooo so creamy and delicious! I love a vegetarian meal that meat eaters would love as well. Pinned.
Thanks, Katy! I agree, I think most eaters would love this dish. Thank you for pinning!
Wow, this looks incredibly delicious! Beautiful photos and I loved your description of the people matching their pets! ;)
i want a whole pot of that pasta..im saying this right after lunch,seriously its soooo good. hope cookie is feeling better.
Thanks, Dixya! Cookie feeling much better. You should have seen her racing around the backyard this morning!
This looks stellar, love the butternut and fried sage!
Thank you for the nice recipe. I know your busy with the vet’s office. Have a good weekend!
Butternut and sage are meant to be together! This is beautiful. I keep meaning to try a creamy sauce made with butternut or sweet potato.
Hi, how many does this serve? Love your work
Hi, I’m sorry I didn’t include the number of servings in the recipe. (Just added them.) The pasta recipe yields enough for at least 4, more if you’re serving it with salad or additional prepared vegetables.
Oh gosh this sounds good! The b-nut is my fave squash by far because it’s so versatile – sweet, savoury, you name it – it always works! I had to laugh about your dogs looking like owners comment, because it is SO true. And about Bon Appetit – I’ve been following them on Twitter for ages but only just started browsing the site – I don’t know what took me so long! Such amazing recipe inspiration over there. Have a great weekend! :)
This looks incredible! Putting in on my menu for next week.
It’s a cold and rainy day here and that dish looks like the food equivalent of a warm jumper. It looks so creamy, you’d never guess there’s no dairy in there at all!
What a great combination. I just adore sage as a herb
Yum this looks absolutely delicious! Will try to make this with quinoa, gluten-free pasta!
Just lately I’ve been grabbing old copies of food magazines to read on my morning commute and I love it … dreaming about food before I get to work and have to launch myself into the day. I love the fact that this is healthy comfort food … and so simple, too. I’m pinning this for later!
Woohoo now I know what’s for lunch tomorrow. I just need to buy the squash, but then I have some wilting sage so it makes perfect sense. I mean, sage can’t go to waste. Thanks! I hope Cookie’s fine. Have a nice day :)
this looks so good a creamy – and with sage?! Gotta try it.
Just tried this on kamut rotini and a glass of white wine subbed for the broth. Delicious!
Yes! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe. White wine makes everything better, doesn’t it? ;)
I love everything about this dish. Great combination! Hope Cookie is okay?
Thanks, Cheri! Cookie hurt her ankle badly over a month ago, but she’s getting better every day.
That looks wonderful. I am fancying it with spinach too. This is my first visit to your blog. I found you on a top 50 veggie blogs list, but funnily enough I glance down at your next post and realised I repinned it yesterday. Huh! Adding you to my blog list as we speak :)
Oh, that is funny! I’m glad you found my blog, Jacqueline. Thank you for saying hello!
Cookie is probably one of the few dogs who LIKES going to the vet lol…but I guess she’s gotten used to it!
This creamy butternut sauce sounds pretty dreamy!
This looks fantastic. I’ll have to make it once I have a blender. (Someday!) It’s wonderful to hear that Cookie’s doing well. I hope she makes a full recovery soon.
What a wondefully simple recipe! It looks so tasty and heartwarming. And you pictures are just so stunning!
Yums McGee! I want this STAT!
Pumpkin or squash and sage is one of my all time favourite combinations. I find it completely irresistible.
And I love your photos, by the way – it’s not easy to make pasta look as good as it tastes in a picture, but if this taste even half as good as it looks then it’s a pretty damn yummy dish…
Thank you, Skye! :)
I absolutely love butternut squash, and I love pasta. So this is a perfect combination- thank you!
I love this combination because I am a big fan of butternut squash.
And who doesn’t love a big bowl of pasta! Thank you for this recipe.
This is GORGEOUS, Kate. I hope Cookie’s okay!
Oh this could not be a prettier pasta dish! Thanks to your skills! Lovely colors in the tail-end of winter :) I love the description of pet owners and their look-alikes. I’m sure my 6’3″ husband feels a bit silly when he walks our mini daschund, but he is such a wonderful pet! Aww.
Thanks, Sophie! I bet your mini dachshund is awfully cute!
That is so true about dog owners matching their dogs! I remember looking around the class when we took our dog to puppy school and thinking how perfectly each of the owners matched their pups. On another note, this pasta dish not only looks great (how do you manage to make a dish that is essentially one colour look so appetising!?) but it sounds delicious! Will definitely be giving this a go.
Right?! Certain dog breeds appeal to certain types of people, it’s true. Thank you for the compliments re: pasta. I have taken a million not-so-appetizing pictures of pasta in the past, but I’m learning!
My belly is roaring after viewing these pics, Kate! ROARIIIIING! Such a perfect comfort food meal.
ooooh! this looks so good… and creamy… mmm. going go have to try it! beautiful photos, too! :)
Omg, I love this idea! It looks so good and I definitely want to try it this weekend! Thanks much for sharing. :)
great recipe and photos! i have a butternut squash lying around, so i’ll try something approachable like this. also: something about fried sage is so luxurious…love that addition. glad that cookie is feeling better and hope you’re settling into your new place happily.
Thank you, Alexis! I’ve tried fried sage before and wasn’t crazy about it… which is crazy, because this time around, I loved it.
I have recently become obsessed with squash & pasta or squash & pizza. It’s currently one of my favorite combinations! To save the hassle out of preparing it I pre-cook it in the microwave (stab it like a baked potato and cook on high until it starts to soften, rotating occasionally. Then cut open carefully, watch out for the steam, scoop out seeds and use as desired – I often drizzle with maple syrup and bake until completely done then store/freeze for whatever I want it for – delish!)
That being said, I can’t wait to try this with the acorn squash sitting on my counter!
Ariana, that is such a time saver! Thank you for sharing! Hope you love this recipe. Please let us know how it turns out with acorn squash!
Made this for supper tonight…delicious!
Thanks, Tina! So glad you enjoyed the linguine!
Made this tonight. Worked fantastic. I did sprinkle pancetta on top since I had some in the freezer and I even sprinkled some applewood smoked salt on top. Great texture and flavor. It’s a comfort food that isn’t that terrible for you.
Recommend no changes or modifications to this recipe. It executes well.
Oh and also.. I used corn and quinoa blended gluten free pasta with this. Worked fine. You definitely want a firmer GF Pasta – not rice noodles – to support this heavy of a sauce.
Jenn, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for your feedback. I’m amending the recipe to include your gluten-free pasta recommendation.
Oh Kate! This looks amazing! Sage and butternut is a perfect combo!
I have a serious problem with this dish! I made a double serving this evening. I just finnished half of it with zucchini “pasta” . The other serving was supposed to be for tomorrow, but now it is calling at me….I feel full, I cannot eat any more, but oooooh it just tastest too moreish :-) Great recipe! Thanks for sharing it :-) (PS: only change I made was to first fry some mushrooms together with chopped sage, set it aside and then add it to the sauce together with the pasta)
Afra, I’m so glad you’re loving the recipe! I’m glad to know that it’s good with zucchini noodles. Mushrooms sound like a terrific addition, too!
Ohh, this caught my eye, too! I want to dig my face into this bowl. I hope miss Cookie is feeling better and better each day! xo
what’s the best time to add the pepper flakes? they aren’t mentioned in the directions.
Sorry about that. I just corrected the directions. Add the red pepper flakes when you add the raw squash to the pan.
Thanks!
(Love your site!)
I love your Butternut Squash Chili recipe. I’m not even a vegetarian, but I’m excited to make this recipe! Looks so creamy and delicious. I’ve made a butternut squash Mac & Cheese that was amazingly creamy! Might try this with Spaghetti squash. Too much squash??
Hey Julie! Glad you love the chili. I’m not sure spaghetti squash would work well in this recipe since it’s so watery—I don’t think it will get creamy like butternut. Haven’t tried it, though!
Awesome and easy to make. I used quite a bit more sage than called for in your recipe and there was not a morsel left…3 adults gobbled it up! Do like the suggestion above about mushrooms! Really think that’ll bump it up…not that its necessary to do so, but…why not!
That’s great, Kathy! I bet mushrooms with extra sage would be extra delicious.
Felicity, you do have great hair but NOBODY rocks the canine lampshade like Cookie! Cool blog.
Haha! Thanks, Brent.
This looks amazing. I actually tried to make a baked pasta version of this a while ago and it was horribly under seasoned – but I could tell it had potential. I’m excited to make this, follow your directions and end up with something ten times more delicious!
Thanks, Sami! I certainly wouldn’t call this dish underseasoned. Now I’m tempted to try it in baked pasta form!
I just made this last night despite having printed off the recipe weeks ago…and it was so delicious! My picky boyfriend even had a bit and said it “wasn’t bad”. Coming from him that’s a 5-star recommendation!
That’s awesome! Thanks, Claire! :)