A perfectly roasted caramelized butternut squash sauce with tons of garlic, all the seasonings, and plenty of parmesan cheese all tossed with spaghetti and topped off with crispy cauliflower, creamy burrata, and toasted walnuts: this Creamy Herbed Butternut Squash Spaghetti with Cauliflower and Burrata is truly the pasta of your dreams.
Jump to RecipeFall is here, and comfort food is totally the name of the game. Now, I’ve always been one to say that bread is my go-to comfort food… I mean, grilled cheese?? A warm roll? There’s nothing better. Well, almost nothing better. You see, when I’m in the mood for pasta. I REALLY do pasta. I’m not talking about some simple buttered noodles, or just some red sauce from a jar. No, I’m whipping up the best pasta you’ll ever eat. With all the right creamy and crunchy textures, tons of cheese, and a comforting spot on flavor: this Creamy Herbed Butternut Squash Spaghetti with Cauliflower and Burrata is definitely up my alley. Better yet? It’s super easy, and makes for the perfect school night fall dinner! You have to make this one… you just have to!!
the breakdown…
This Creamy Herbed Butternut Squash Spaghetti with Cauliflower and Burrata may seem extravagant, but, let me tell you, it’s really quite simple. Start off by roasting everything up in the oven. I love a good crispy cauliflower action on top of this pasta. It almost acts as a meat component, or at least a good crunchy note that brings some dimension to the dish. If cauliflower isn’t your thing, you could totally leave it out. I’m just a big fan of loading up the toppings on my pasta, so this crispy cauliflower is the perfect addition, if you ask me. Plus, you’re already roasting up some butternut squash, so might as well pop in some more veggies while you’re at it!
Speaking of that butternut squash, let’s talk about this sauce. Pasta sauces are one of those things I can go one of two ways, if you ask me. You can slave all day in the kitchen peeling tomatoes, hand mashing your sauce, and slow roasting everything. OR, you can simply roast everything up and take the easy road… which, if you ask me, almost always tastes just as good. In this Creamy Herbed Butternut Squash Spaghetti with Cauliflower and Burrata recipe, I go with an easier approach to a butternut squash sauce. Simply roast up your sweet fall squash with some onion and garlic (for tons of flavor), and you’ve got yourself a wonderful base to a sauce.
all about the flavors!!!
And, while you get lots of natural cruciferous flavors from the onion and garlic, I also like to roast things up with tons of herbs and spices. Ground sage, rosemary, and thyme are some of the best fall herbs, and pair wonderfully with an almost indistinguishable sweetness from the cinnamon. Then, with some red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper, you’ve got yourself perfectly spiced roasted veggies… like, seriously, these are good enough to just eat straight off of the pan with a fork, if you ask me.
Once your cauliflower is all crisp and golden, I like to cover it with some tin foil, turn off the oven, and leave the cauliflower in the oven to stay warm. It shouldn’t need to cook any longer, but I just like to keep everything at a good temperature. Meanwhile, throw your roasted squash, garlic, and onion into a blender with the broth, parmesan, and milk. The squash should be golden and caramelized before this step, though, as those little caramelized bits are definitely where all of the flavor is packed!
Now, this is where this Creamy Herbed Butternut Squash Spaghetti with Cauliflower and Burrata recipe gets really quite versatile. If you are trying to keep things dairy free, you could definitely leave out the parmesan or substitute it with nutritional yeast. And, you could definitely use a non-dairy milk for this recipe.
keeping things light…
While many creamy pastas call for heavy cream, whole milk, ricotta, or some other heavy cheese, I find that all of that is really unnecessary when paired with the natural creaminess of the butternut squash. Once you blend everything up, the sauce will become perfectly creamy and luscious by itself. You could do this with an immersion blender, if you have one and send the sauce straight to the skillet. Or, you could simply throw the sauce into a blender and blend it on low. Either way, it’s seriously so good!!
Once your sauce is good to go, it’s time to toss in the pasta and get things going! I love spaghetti with this recipe, as I think it provides the perfect base for this sauce without being too overbearing with crazy textures. That being said, you could use any other pasta shape you would like. Fettuccine, bucatini, linguine, and tagliatelle would be some good direct substitutions, but you could also go for a short cut pasta like rigatoni.
let’s talk about pasta!
Alternatively, you could use a low-carb option like Palmini or Banza. I love Palmini pasta. For those of you who don’t know, it’s essentially hearts of palm cut into the shape of spaghetti. Personally, I think this is the most on-par spaghetti alternatives out there. Made of chickpeas, Banza is also delicious, and is very similar tasting to a whole wheat spaghetti. That being said, I don’t eat it that often because I find that amount of beans to be a bit overwhelming. Really, the moral of the story is YOU DO YOU! All are delicious options with this one!
Toss everything together then get to topping! I live for some good pasta toppings, as I’m totally a texture junkie. Give me all the crunchy bits from some walnuts, crispy goodness from some cauliflower, and a little creamy slice of Heaven from the burrata and I’m beyond content. Then, top everything off with some more fresh herbs from some brightness and this dish is truly a work of art.
perfect for any occasion!!
This Creamy Herbed Butternut Squash Spaghetti with Cauliflower and Burrata is seriously one of my all time fav comfort meals. Serve it up for dinner for the family, or even make it to impress some guests, and you really can’t go wrong. Plus, it’s a great way to sneak in some veggies. I mean, butternut squash, cauliflower, light dairy options… It’s practically health food! More importantly, however, this dish is damn good for the soul. Whether it’s just one of those 80 degree September nights when you’re manifesting fall weather, or it’s actually a bit chilly outside, you have to make this one!
I hope you love this Creamy Herbed Butternut Squash Spaghetti with Cauliflower and Burrata as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments below:))
Creamy Herbed Butternut Squash Spaghetti with Cauliflower and Burrata
Course: Main Course, PastaCuisine: American, Fall, ItalianDifficulty: Easy4
servings10
minutes30
minutes40
minutesA perfectly roasted caramelized butternut squash sauce with tons of garlic, all the seasonings, and plenty of parmesan cheese all tossed with spaghetti and topped off with crispy cauliflower, creamy burrata, and toasted walnuts: this Creamy Herbed Butternut Squash Spaghetti with Cauliflower and Burrata is truly the pasta of your dreams.
Ingredients
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp dried rosemary
2 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp garlic powder
A pinch of red pepper flakes, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about 3 cups cubed squash)*
1 small yellow onion, cut into wedges
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 medium head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 lb spaghetti, prepared according to package*
½ cup milk of choice*
½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 cups vegetable broth
1 5 oz ball of burrata, torn, to serve
½ cup toasted walnuts, to serve
Fresh herbs, such as sage, oregano, or parsley, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk the salt, sage, rosemary, thyme, cinnamon, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and pepper.
- On one baking sheet, toss the cauliflower with 1 tbsp of olive oil and HALF of the spice mixture. On the second baking sheet, toss the butternut squash, onion, and garlic cloves with the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil and the rest of the spice mixture. Transfer both baking sheets to the oven and roast for 30-35 minutes, flipping halfway..
- Set the cauliflower aside, or keep warm at a low temperature in the oven. Meanwhile, throw the roasted butternut squash, onion, and garlic into a blender with the milk, parmesan, and vegetable broth. Blend on a low speed up the sauce is creamy and smooth.
- In a warm skillet or bowl, toss the spaghetti with the butternut squash sauce. Serve each bowl with some of the roasted cauliflower, a bit of the burrata cheese, some toasted walnuts, and some fresh herbs. Enjoy!
Notes
- Instead of spaghetti, you could use any other pasta shape you would like. Fettuccine, bucatini, linguine, and tagliatelle would be good substitutions, but you could also go for a short cut pasta, like rigatoni. Alternatively, you could use a low-carb option like Palmini or Banza.
- You could use whatever milk you would like for this recipe. I usually go for Skim milk or Almond milk, but use whatever you have on hand!
- Personally, I always like to buy my butternut squash already chopped… it’s seriously such a pain to chop and peel those things! If you’re feeling the same way but can’t find any pre chopped, check out the frozen section. I usually find butternut squash frozen there and just pop it into the microwave for 3-4 minutes before carrying on with the recipe as written. You could do the same for the cauliflower, too, but floretting a cauliflower is typically much easier than chopping up a butternut squash.
This recipe is so delicious, Annie!! It is the first one I have made of yours, and I plan to make many more for the family. I don’t know if my presentation is quite as good as yours, but it tastes great!
So happy you loved it! Thank you for the feedback:)