Experience the ultimate fall-inspired pasta dish with this easy butternut squash pasta with sage and pine nuts.

An overhead view of a serving bowl filled with butternut squash pasta topped with grated Parmesan, a glass of white wine and a napkin to the side.

Notes From the MGC Kitchen
Key Ingredients
How to Make Butternut Squash Pasta with Sage
Tips for Buying Butternut Squash
What to Serve with Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta
More Delicious Weeknight Pastas
Butternut Squash Pasta with Sage Recipe

This easy butternut squash pasta with sage combines some of our favorite fall flavors to create a truly soul-satisfying meatless dinner. Butter, toasted pine nuts, garlic, sage, and Parmesan cheese join the roasted butternut for the ultimate comforting fall-inspired pasta dish.

Notes From the MGC Kitchen

This pasta with roasted butternut squash is one of our favorite meatless meals in the cooler months when butternuts are at their prime. Thanks to the savory, buttery flavors of the roasted squash and pine nuts, you won’t miss meat at all! However, it’s easy to add a little protein if you’re wanting something a bit more substantial. Our favorites are diced bacon or pancetta. Just cook the bacon or pancetta until crispy, remove from the pan to a paper towel to drain, and then cook your aromatics in the rendered fat (you can add a bit of olive oil if needed). The result is reminiscent of carbonara. Either way, this easy roasted butternut squash and pasta combo will become one of your fall favorites!

A labeled, overhead view of the ingredients needed for butternut squash pasta including cubed squash, spaghetti, butter, Parmesan, sage, garlic, and pine nuts.

Key Ingredients

This is an overview of the key ingredients for this recipe. Please see the printable recipe card below for the complete listing, including quantities.

PASTA: Spaghetti is our favorite cut of pasta for this dish, but you’re welcome to use other varieties such as linguine or bucatini. We prefer longer cuts of pasta, but feel free to experiment with penne or cavatappi – really anything you like is fine.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH: We use fresh butternut squash for this recipe, but you can use frozen, as well (see recipe notes). Our local market conveniently sells 16-ounce bags of cubed butternut squash in the produce department, which is a time saver compared with breaking down a whole squash.
PINE NUTS: Pine nuts (aka pignoli) add a buttery, nutty flavor to this pasta dish. They can burn extremely quickly if left unattended, so be sure to watch them carefully when you’re toasting them in the pan.
SAGE: Fresh sage complements the squash beautifully, but we do not recommend using dried sage. If you’re not a fan of the flavor of fresh sage, you can leave it out or substitute fresh thyme.
PARMESAN OR ROMANO: Finishing the dish with freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano is completely optional, but it’s too delicious not to.

How to Make Butternut Squash Pasta with Sage

This is an overview of how this recipe is prepared. Please see the printable recipe card below for detailed step-by-step instructions.

PREHEAT AND PREP THE SQUASH: Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. If you’re using a whole butternut squash, cut it in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, peel, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes.

ROAST THE SQUASH: Arrange the cubed squash on the baking sheet, drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes, until the squash is tender. It’s okay to get a little bit of caramelization on the squash – it just adds more flavor.

A parchment lined sheet pan with roasted cubes of butternut squash, ready to be combined with pasta.

A cast iron pan showing pine nuts and chopped fresh sage being toasted for butternut squash pasta.

BOIL WATER FOR PASTA: While the squash roasts, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.

SAUTÉ THE AROMATICS: Heat the remaining olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and add the pine nuts, garlic and chopped sage. Cook until the garlic and pine nuts are barely golden, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

COOK THE PASTA: Cook the pasta and reserve 1/4 cup of the water before draining.

ADD THE ROASTED SQUASH: Return the pan with the pine nuts, garlic and sage to the stove over medium heat and add the butter, heating until foamy. Add the roasted butternut squash, pasta and 2 tablespoons of the pasta water.

TOSS AND SERVE: Toss the pasta gently, season to taste with salt and pepper, and add the remaining pasta water if needed. Serve topped with grated cheese.

A cast iron skillet of cooked spaghetti tossed with cubes of roasted butternut squash, about to be topped with grated Parmesan cheese befor serving.

Tips for Buying Butternut Squash

Peak season for butternut squash is September through November. To pick a good butternut squash at the market, look for the following qualities:

Firm, matte skin that is a deep, creamy tan color (no streaks or green spots)
A long and thick neck
Heavy for its size (an indicator of ripeness)
An intact stem that is dry and firm (though not necessary, it will help the squash last longer if you’re not planning to use it immediately)

What to Serve with Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta

We like to pair simple vegetable side dishes like oven-roasted cauliflower or asparagus with balsamic brown butter and a side salad with this flavorful pasta main dish.