Description
Silky roasted butternut squash pasta with a dairy-free creamy sauce, topped with golden garlic-Parmesan breadcrumbs. Perfect vegetarian comfort food for cozy nights!
Ingredients
For the Roasted Vegetables:
- 1 large butternut squash (about 2-3 lbs), peeled and cubed
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped (or 1 tablespoon dried)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Pasta:
- 1 lb pasta (penne, rigatoni, or your favorite short pasta)
- 1-2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock for vegetarian)
- Reserved pasta water as needed
- Pinch of nutmeg (optional, but trust me on this!)
For the Crispy Parmesan Breadcrumbs:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt to taste
Instructions
1. Prep and Roast the Vegetables (25-30 minutes) Crank your oven to 425°F. Chop everything up – squash, onion, garlic, rosemary – toss it all on a big sheet pan with olive oil and salt. Don’t baby it, just get it spread out so it’s not all piled up. Stick it in the oven and forget about it for 25-30 minutes. Stir it once halfway through if you remember.
2. Cook the Pasta Boil some water, throw in the pasta. Cook it like the box says but pull it out one minute early. Before you drain it, grab a cup of that starchy pasta water – you’ll need it later and you’ll kick yourself if you forget.
3. Make the Magic Sauce Dump those roasted veggies in your blender with some chicken stock. Blend until it’s smooth. If it’s too thick, add more stock or pasta water bit by bit. Taste it – add salt, pepper, maybe that tiny pinch of nutmeg if you’re feeling fancy.
4. Create the Crispy Topping Melt butter in a pan, throw in minced garlic for like 30 seconds. Add breadcrumbs and rosemary, keep stirring for 3-4 minutes until it’s all golden. Take it off the heat, mix in the Parmesan. Done.
5. Bring It All Together Mix the pasta with the sauce. If it’s too thick, add pasta water until it looks right. Top with those breadcrumbs and eat it while it’s hot.
Notes
For extra richness: Splash of cream or coconut milk makes it restaurant-level indulgent
Make it pop: Lemon juice at the end – just a squeeze – makes everything brighter
Perfect consistency: Your sauce should cling to pasta like it means it, not slide off like water
Avoid disaster: Cook pasta one minute under because it keeps cooking in that hot sauce
Lazy cook hack: Make the sauce Sunday, reheat Wednesday, pretend you’re organized
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: Italian-inspired