Name: Pan Fried Butternut Squash Pasta
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 13 ounces elbow pasta; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 teaspoon olive oil; 1 small butternut squash (peeled, seeded, and shredded (about 3 cups)); Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese blend or Mozzarella; 6-8 fresh sage leaves; Parmesan cheese and additional olive oil for topping ((optional))

Pan Fried Butternut Squash Pasta is the perfect comfort food recipe for fall. Al dente pasta is pan fried with creamy butternut squash until hot, crisp, and delicious!

pan fried butternut squash pasta in a cast iron pan

October is national pasta month, and there’s no better way to celebrate than with butternut squash pasta.

With a family that loves pasta as much as mine does I’m always trying to come up with exciting new combinations. This recipe for pan fried butternut squash pasta is so simple.

It only requires 5 ingredients (plus salt, pepper, and Parmesan if you desire) and about 30 minutes to get it done. That makes it a healthy weeknight option that might even get your kids excited about squash.

a white plate piled with butternut squash pasta

The trick to this recipe is allowing the squash to cook until soft, then getting it nice and crispy for added texture. Adding a little cheese gives it extra richness and flavor, but will also help it crisp up before adding it to the pasta. In my opinion, this is the perfect fall recipe because it has great harvest flavors and is super warm and comforting without being heavy and full of calories.

As a family of mostly vegetarians we’re always looking to get more protein into our diets, especially on the beloved pasta night. I love that a one-cup cooked serving of Dreamfields pasta provides 5 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein!

That’s definitely going to help fill everyone up, which really just means there will be more pasta for me. Probably my favorite thing though is that it totally tastes like the pastas you’re used to – none of that strange taste or texture that a lot of healthier pastas have.

Pan fried butternut squash pasta can be customized! Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Add the pasta to the squash before the final five minutes of cooking to crisp the pasta as well
Stir in roughly chopped greens such as spinach or kale in the final minutes of cooking until wilted
After cooking top with a combination of cheese, breadcrumbs, and olive oil, then broil until brown and bubbly
Use whatever pasta shape you have on hand
Leave out the cheese to make vegan butternut squash pasta

butternut squash pasta on a white plate with a fork and napkin

More butternut squash recipes

If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!

Recipe

Pan Fried Butternut Squash Pasta

This Pan Fried Butternut Squash Pasta is fully of creamy, crispy butternut squash!

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 30

Servings:

Calories: 383kcal

Author: Lindsay Moe

Ingredients

▢ 13 ounces elbow pasta
▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
▢ 1 teaspoon olive oil
▢ 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and shredded (about 3 cups)
▢ Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
▢ ½ cup shredded Italian cheese blend or Mozzarella
▢ 6-8 fresh sage leaves
▢ Parmesan cheese and additional olive oil for topping, (optional)

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the squash and ½ cup of water. Season with salt and pepper. Allow the squash to cook until it starts to disintegrate, 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more water ¼ cup at a time if it starts to dry out. Don’t add too much water toward the end, you don’t want the squash to get soupy.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook just to al dente, so it is cooked but still a little firm. Reserve about ½ cup of the pasta water, then drain. While the pasta is cooking, increase the heat on the squash to medium high and add the Italian cheese blend. Thoroughly combine, then let the mixture fry in the pan for about 5 minutes, stirring two or three times, so that it begins to caramelize and get crunchy in spots. Remove from the heat and combine the squash with the pasta. If it seems too dry add a little pasta water and mix thoroughly.
Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and fry until crisp (it should happen fairly quickly). Transfer the sage to paper towels to drain.
Serve pasta garnished with whole or crumbled sage leaves, a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, and an extra drizzle of olive oil if desired.