Something magical happens to pasta when you combine spaghetti with a creamy butternut sauce made with leeks, sage, garlic and Parmigiano Reggiano. You’ll swear this is full of cream and butter, but it’s not!
Spaghetti with Butternut Parmesan Sauce
It’s super easy to make with only a few ingredients, and is very filling. Perfect for Meatless Mondays, or any night of the week. You may also like this spicier Butternut Pasta with Spicy Sausage and Spinach version. And for a pasta dish made with pumpkin puree, try this Cheesy Baked Pumpkin Pasta.
This recipe started out as a mistake, a butternut squash puree that was far too thin and liquidy. A very HAPPY mistake! Don’t you love when that happens? I decided to make it into a pasta sauce and added a ton of good quality cheese (don’t use the cheap stuff), fresh sage, garlic and leeks which are milder than onions and quite delicious. The sauce turned out savory, creamy and delicious. The best part? Tommy LOVED it and he’s not always easy to please.
Helpful Tips
- You can double the sauce and freeze the rest. Let it cool and transfer to freezer safe containers. I love these Souper Cubes (affil link) for freezing soups and sauces in portions! Freeze for up to 3 months.
- To speed this up, you can buy pre-cut and peeled butternut squash instead of doing it yourself. Here’s an easy tip for cutting and peeling butternut squash yourself.
- I used spaghetti here, but any pasta shape would work. Whole wheat of gluten-free pasta would also be great!
More Pasta Recipes You Will Love
- Brussels Sprouts Carbonara
- Lasagna Rolls
- Macaroni and Cheese Soup
- Baked Broccoli Mac and Cheese
- One Pot Spaghetti Meat and Sauce
Spaghetti with Butternut Leek Parmesan Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 lb butternut squash, peeled and diced
- 1 tbsp light butter
- 8 oz spaghetti of your choice, use brown rice pasta for gluten-free
- 1 cup large leek (white part only)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh shaved parmesan cheese
- 4 sage leaves, sliced thin
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Add butternut squash and cook until soft.
- Remove squash with a slotted spoon and place in a blender, blend until smooth.
- Add pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions for al dente, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water before draining.
- Meanwhile, in a large deep non-stick skillet, melt the butter, sauté the leeks and garlic over medium-low heat until soft and golden, about 5 - 6 minutes.
- Add pureed butternut squash, season with with salt and fresh cracked pepper and add a little of the reserved pasta water to thin out to your liking.
- Stir in parmesan cheese and sage and mix in pasta until well coated.
- Serve with additional parmesan cheese on the side.
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Photo credit: Erin Alvarez
This sauce is AMAZING!!! Super easy to make and tastes like a gourmet sauce. So so good!
I want sure how this would go over, but I thought it was pretty good. I doubled the recipe so there would be enough for my family if give, plus some leftovers to pack up for lunch this week. I did add some garlic salt to taste, and doubled the cheese. I didn’t have any fresh sage, so added some dried to the sauce while it cooked. And topped the entire thing with an additional 1/4 cup of parmesan. My husband and oldest son who don’t like squash had no idea I had used it. The flavor was really nice.
This was absolutely delicious! I added a little bit of chicken sausage and used gluten-free pasta. I will definitely be making this again.
I’ve been reluctant to make this because my husband hates winter squash. He said he would do his best and try it. He said it was really good and got seconds. Another great recipe.
This was surprisingly delicious and satisfying on a cold winter night. Will definitely be making this again. I thought about adding a little nutmeg next time, but really didn’t miss it this time.
This was simple to make and really delicious. Will definitely make again.
YUMMMMM. The only change I made was roasting the squash. I did however make the mistake of using shredded parm…which kinda throws off the measuring of it…so it was actually too thick, but I just used all of the water to tame it down. A Keeper!
Make sure you look at the video. I did add bacon .
This was everything Gina described. The sauce was velvety and the unexpected flavor made my taste buds do a little jig. I loved how simple it was, minimal ingredients and I love that I made the sauce from scratch. Makes me happy to feed my family homemade, nutritious meals. I used brown rice lentil spaghetti noodles gluten free even tho we don’t require gluten free, delicious!
This made for a very tasty and rich tasting sauce … that wasn’t rich! I cooked the whole squash in the Instant Pot and then puréed it for the sauce. For me that’s much safer than trying to peel and chop a squash. Reading through the comments I added 4 slices of crispy double smoked bacon and a pinch of pepper flakes. It was delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Loved this dish! Crumbled some crispy proscuitto!
This was a hit! I bought pre-cut butternut squash and boiled it (and the pasta) in vegetable broth. I also added pre-cooked chicken breast at the end for some extra protein. So good and autumnal 🙂
This was amazing!! I spiced it up a bit with Cajun seasoning since we like our food on the spicy side. But it was delicious as is. My first time cooking with leeks. Definitely a keeper!!
This was amazing!! I spiced it up a bit with Cajun seasoning since we like our food on the spicy side. But it was delicious as is. My first time cooking with leeks. Definitely a keeper!!
I really was hoping this would be better. As some other reviews have said I found this a little bland even after adding extra salt and Italian seasoning to add a little more punch. It wasn’t inedible by any means, it was just fine in my opinion. One of kids definitely gobbled it up so it wasn’t terrible obviously!
Do you think this would work with zoodles?
Simple and delicious
Very good recipe. I felt it needed a fair bit of salt, but I always think that with squash recipes and I am a sodium junkie.
We will definitely be making again