This Butternut Squash Alfredo is the perfect fall comfort dish! This simple recipe uses roasted butternut squash to make a creamy, delicious sauce to top your favourite pasta!
I love a good Alfredo pasta dish and this Butternut Squash Alfredo recipe that I am sharing with you today is one of my favorite ways to use squash!
Butternut squash helps make the most flavorful, thick sauce to coat pasta. And the best part? This deliciousness adds nutrients and packs way less calories than traditional Alfredo sauce!
There is no heavy creams in this sauce. It’s not needed at all. Since the squash thickens the sauce beautifully, I opt for using a lighter milk instead. This definitely helps reduce the calorie count!
To make this recipe, I roast the squash first. While you can certainly take a shortcut and boil it instead, the flavor you get from roasting it is unmatched by any other cooking method and definitely worth the time.
I often double this recipe- as the recipe is stated, you only need 1 1/2 cups of squash to make about 4 servings worth of butternut squash Alfredo. Since the average butternut squash provides me with more than I need for this recipe, I have leftovers. That means I can either use up the rest of the squash in other meals for the week or double (or triple) my recipe and freeze the sauce for future meals! As delicious as this meal is, I often opt for the latter!
What you need to make Butternut Squash Alfredo
- butternut squash, cubed
- olive oil
- pasta (fettuccine, linguine, or similar)
- butter
- shallot, finely chopped
- milk
- Parmesan cheese, grated
- nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
How to make Butternut Squash Alfredo
Essentially, this recipe comes down to a few simple steps:
- Roast and puree the squash: Add the chopped butternut squash to the baking sheet and toss it with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and then roast until fork tender (about 35 minutes), flipping halfway through. Once cooked, allow it to cool slightly and then transfer it to a food processor to puree.
- Cook the pasta: Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta but reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water.
- Make the butternut squash Alfredo sauce: Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saute pan and add onion. Cook on medium heat until onions are translucent. Add the pureed squash, milk, nutmeg, and Parmesan in a saute pan and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
- Toss it all together and plate it up! Slowly add the reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce to the desired consistency if needed and add the drained pasta, stirring to coat evenly. Transfer to serving plates and top with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Pretty easy right?
I tried to get all fancy with my plating by trying my hand at a pasta twirl instead of just sloppily transferring the pasta onto my plate. While there is still room for improvement, how much better does pasta look when presented in a cute little mound? I watched this video to try my hand at this technique:
Can you freeze butternut squash Alfredo?
Yes, butternut squash Alfredo actually holds up well when freezing and reheating. I would not cook and freeze the pasta itself but the squash Alfredo sauce can easily be frozen. In fact, I usually double or triple the butternut squash Alfredo recipe so that I can freeze some for future meals!
To freeze the sauce, prepare it as stated in the recipe. Once cooled, transfer it to a freezer safe container and freeze. When you are ready to reheat it for future meals, allow it to thaw and then add it to your pot and toss with freshly cooked pasta!
What to serve with butternut squash Alfredo
The recipe I shared with you is a simple butternut squash Alfredo base recipe. It is absolutely delicious as it is but you can definitely add protein and veggies to bulk up the dish and make it a more balanced meal. The beauty of this Alfredo dish is that it really goes well with a wide variety of veggies and proteins. Some of my favorites are included below.
Proteins:
- grilled chicken
- sausage
- shrimp
- meatballs
- bacon
Veggies:
- spinach
- cherry tomatoes
- asparagus
- zucchini
- peas
- mushrooms
- broccoli
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!
-Cathy
You may also like:
Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter Sage Sauce
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Pumpkin Fettuccine Alfredo
Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter Sage Sauce 
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup Pumpkin Fettucine Alfredo
If you try and enjoy this recipe, I would love to hear about it! Leave a rating and/or comment below to let me know what you think!
Butternut Squash Alfredo
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups butternut squash cubed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 375 g pasta (fettuccine, linguine, or similar)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 shallot finely chopped
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the chopped butternut squash to the baking sheet and toss it with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and then roast until fork tender (about 35 minutes), flipping halfway through. Once cooked, allow it to cool slightly and then transfer it to a food processor to puree.
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta but reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saute pan and add onion. Cook on medium heat until onions are translucent. Add the pureed squash, milk, nutmeg, and Parmesan in a saute pan and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
- Slowly add the reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce to the desired consistency if needed and add the drained pasta, stirring to coat evenly. Top with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.
