Recipe Butternut Squash Creamy Pasta Sauce – Vegan Option

Butternut squash is sometimes over-looked as a boring, hard to peel ‘too much effort’ vegetable but it is a great one to try include in your kids diet due to it’s high nutritional content. It provides ample amounts of dietary fibre, is high in vitamins, potassium and a great source of beta-carotene. This pasta sauce tastes rich and creamy and yet there isn’t a bit of cream or butter in site. Serve over a pasta of your choice with a tiny sprinkle of parmesan. Note that parmesan has a high salt content so use sparingly for the little ones. Also omit the parmesan for vegan

My kids all love creamy pasta sauces. Give them a carbonara any day over a veggie filled tomato based sauce and it will be devoured up in no time. I tend to make it seldom though as the creamy butter sauce isn’t as good for us grownups. Where I can I opt for healthier alternatives like this recipe for butternut squash pasta sauce. It tastes like it is deliciously creamy and laden with butter and yet there isn’t a smidgen of butter or cream in sight.

Butternut squash is sometimes over-looked as a boring, hard to peel ‘too much effort’ vegetable but it is a great one to try include in your kids diet due to it’s high nutritional content. It provides ample amounts of dietary fibre, is high in vitamins, potassium and a great source of beta-carotene.

Easy ways to prepare Butternut Squash

There are a few ways of preparing butternut squash to make your life a bit easier and entice you to use it more. Firstly, wash the skin, cut length ways, remove the seeds, drizzle with olive oil and then roast at 180ºC for about 40 minutes until the flesh is soft. It then easily comes away from the skin with minimal effort. Alternatively you can use a regular vegetable peeler to remove the skin prior to cooking. Then chop into chunks and either steam, sauté or drizzle with a little olive or coconut oil and roast until soft.

Butternut squash freezes really well when cooked and can be stored in freezer bags for future recipe. Great to have on hand for busy parents who want to cook something quick!

Once you have the cooked squash this recipe is a doddle to prepare. I slow cook the onions until they have become naturally sweet and sticky and then add garlic and a little home made stock that I usually have in the freezer. Then everything is blended and it magically turns into a delicious creamy sauce that will fool any child (or adult for that matter).

Serve over a pasta of your choice with a tiny sprinkle of parmesan. Note that parmesan has a high salt content so use sparingly for the little ones. Also omit the parmesan for vegan