A perfect 30-minute meal for squash AND pasta lovers! Spiralized butternut squash noodles mingle with angel hair pasta, vegan sausage, kale, and sage, plus a white wine pan sauce. Vegan with a gluten-free option.
When I think about fall and winter foods, butternut squash is one of the first things that comes to mind. And when you combine it with pasta, kale, and sage, I mean come on! In my opinion, dinner really doesn't get any better than this.
Are we enjoying fresh produce? Check.
Are we eating colorful and healthy veggies? Check.
Is there pasta involved? Check.
Is there at least one type of fresh herb involved? Check.
How about garlic? You know it!
And wine? Check!
The Inspiration
I don't remember how it happened, but somewhere online I recently came across a photo of this non-vegan recipe for butternut squash spaghetti. Instantly I knew I wanted to make a vegan version, and the sooner the better. I also knew it would be easy to do.
These truly are some of my favorite flavors. In fact, I already have a recipe on the blog from last year that involves pasta, butternut, sausage, and kale! Check it out: Vegan Pasta Bake With Sausage Squash and Kale
Thankfully, today's recipe is quite a bit easier than that one!
As a side note, butternut squash is such a fantastic vegetable to spiralize. I like that it cooks in a reasonable amount of time, and unlike summer squashes, it isn't mushy. And since we're only using the neck of the squash for this recipe, it's actually really easy to prepare, too.
Save the rest of the squash for roasting or steaming the next day.
How to Make It
I feel comfortable saying this recipe is great for beginners. Not only is it simple, but it feels a bit fancy, which gives you an encouraging boost of confidence in the kitchen.
Here's a summary of the basic work flow...
- Prep the ingredients by washing and chopping the kale, peeling and spiralizing the squash, and breaking up the vegan sausage links into chunks. *Since we're only using the neck of the squash, which is basically a cylinder, it's easy to handle and peel.
- Cook and drain the pasta.
- In the meantime, cook the sausage in a large sauté pan. When it begins to brown add the garlic, sage, red pepper, and a pinch of salt. Stirring, cook for about 1 minute.
- Next, add the butternut noodles and the white wine. Cook the butternut until just tender, about 3 minutes.
- Add the kale and the sauce ingredients, and simmer for a few minutes.
- Fold in the pasta and vegan cheese, and serve!
Pretty simple, right?
How to Make this Recipe Gluten-Free
For a completely gluten-free dish, we only need to replace two ingredients: the pasta and the sausage.
Any gluten-free spaghetti noodle you like will work great here, like bean, lentil, or rice pasta.
Replacing the sausage becomes a bit trickier, because most store-bought brands are made with vital wheat gluten. Here are a few swaps that would be delicious:
- Beyond Meat's sausages are gluten-free, so that's the easiest swap. Try the hot Italian flavor!
- Replace the sausage with beans or tempeh, and add Italian seasoning blend, salt and pepper while sautéing.
- Or take matters into your own hands, and make your own gluten-free vegan Italian sausage! A quick Google search shows a lot of options. Check out this one from The Hidden Veggies: GF Vegan Sausage
I think you'll LOVE this Butternut Squash Noodles with Sausage and Sage recipe! It's...
Comforting
Colorful
Savory
Warm
Balanced
Fancy-ish
Sausage-y
And simple!
And don't we all find ourselves with leftover fresh sage this time of year? You know how it goes... you buy some at the grocery store for one or two recipes, and then stare at it for the next couple of weeks every time you open the produce drawer.
Well, now you have a great way to use up the fresh sage! You might also like this Mushroom-Sage Orzotto.
If you try this butternut squash pasta recipe I would love to hear from you! Be sure to leave a comment and star rating below to let everyone know how it turned out. And if you share a photo on facebook or insta just tag me with @myquietkitchen to show off that gorgeous plate.
Enjoy!
More vegan comfort food pasta recipes:
- Best Vegan Stovetop Mac and Cheese
- Creamy Ranch Pasta
- Ultimate Vegan Mushroom Mac and Cheese
- 40 of the Best Vegan Mac & Cheese Recipes!
- Creamy Lemon Pasta
- Baked Ziti With Vegetables
Spiralized Butternut Squash With Vegan Sausage and Sage
Ingredients
- 6 ounces angel hair or spaghetti, gluten-free if needed
- top half of a large butternut squash (the neck), about 14 ounces
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 links vegan Italian sausage, such as Tofurky, No Evil Foods, or Beyond - For GF option, try Beyond Meat's sausages, or see other ideas in post.
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 3 Tbsp chopped fresh sage (about 8 large leaves)
- generous pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- generous pinch of sea salt
- ⅔ cup dry white wine - Barnivore.com is a great way to find vegan wines.
- 1 small bunch kale, stems removed, chopped
- ⅓ cup unsweetened and unflavored creamy non-dairy milk, such as soy or coconut
- 1 Tbsp stoneground mustard
- 1 ½ to 2 ounces Violife Parmesan cheese or other vegan cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Use your hands to break the sausage links into smaller, bite-size chunks (similar to ground sausage).
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse.
- Peel the butternut squash and spiralize on the thinnest noodle setting. Use kitchen scissors to cut longer strands to a length similar to spaghetti.
- Preheat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the oil and sausage and cook until the sausage begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, sage, red pepper flakes, and a generous pinch of salt. Stir frequently and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the butternut squash noodles and toss to combine. Add the wine and cook, covered, until the squash is barely tender, about 3 minutes.
- Add the kale and toss to combine. Stir in the milk and mustard and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Add about half of the pasta and toss to combine. Add the cheese and remaining pasta and toss again. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used. We calculate this information using the online calculator cronometer.com.
Margaret
Delicious and colorful. I tried Violife Parmesan for the first time and it was really good. For sausage, our go-to brand is Field Roast. We don't eat much pasta, but I tried Angel Hair with Jerusalem Artichoke inulin, which I had never heard of. It was really nice! I may need to purchase a different spiralizer, though. I tried the one my partner gave me for Christmas and it was way too much work!
Bec
Love using butternut squash - it's so much healthier!
And giving us an extra recipe for sage is inspired - thanks!