• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Mediterranean Latin Love Affair
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Miscellaneous
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Mediterranean Food
  • Albanian Food
  • Latin Food
  • Bolivian Food
  • About
  • Follow Me:

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes

    Shell Pasta In Butternut Squash Sauce

    Published: Sep 18, 2020 · Modified: Oct 16, 2020 by Sonila · This post may contain affiliate links · 10 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    This Shell Pasta In Butternut Squash Sauce is such a comforting family meal!! My kids ask for it early Fall, before pumpkins come out because of the beautiful Fall colors. You can make it with any of your favorite pasta, but we favor shell pasta for this recipe.

    A pan of shell pasta coated in a yellowish sauce, garnished with fresh basil leaves. In the background you see edges of serving plates, a container with fresh grated cheese and more basil for garnishing individual plates.
    Shell Pasta In Creamy Butternut Squash Sauce

    Some links in my posts may be affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you purchase items by clicking on these links. I will always disclose when a product in a post has been gifted by a company as well as when a post or product is sponsored.

    Roasting Butternut Squash

    You’ll need a medium size butternut squash for this recipe. Cut the butternut squash in half along the longer side. Remove seeds and the sticky stringy pulp they’re tangled with by using a spoon. It’s easy to scrape them all with a spoon.

    I use Butternut Squash in this Leek Soup recipe and while I cut the squash there on a different direction, the scooping method is the same. So take a look at that recipe if you like because it has a video too.

    You have to be very careful when you cut butternut squash as it is very dense and tough to cut. Use a sharp knife and position the butternut squash firmly on a counter. We’ll just cut in half and roast it after removing the seeds. Then it’s much easier to work with it.

    A butternut squash cut in half, one half is already cleaned from seeds and pulp but the other half not.
    Cut Butternut Squash In Half

    Butternut Squash Creamy Sauce

    You can use this sauce for many types of pasta. The reason we love it with shell pasta is that the sauce coats the pasta on the inside but plenty of times it will fill some of the shells with sauce. These bites are special burst of amazing flavor!!!

    There are couple of tips about the sauce I want to share with you.

    Chop onion fine or dice it. After you saute and add the wine to the pan and scrape it well, you can use a fine strainer to remove the onion. This will make the sauce smoother. If you don’t mind the onion in the sauce, then you can saute it a little bit longer (lower heat a bit so it doesn’t burn).

    I love using pinot grigio to make this pasta sauce. If you’re sensitive to alcohol, then you can replace the pinot grigio with either vegetable broth or chicken broth.

    Sauce can look runny initially, but once you add pasta to it, stir and coat the shells right away and have to serve soon after. Pasta will absorb some of the sauce. Feel free to add some more cream or broth to sauce if you want.

    A pan with butternut squash sauce
    Butternut Squash Sauce

    How To Serve This Shell Pasta?

    I serve this pasta recipe with some fresh basil for garnishing. Then I top off each plate with freshly grated parmesan cheese and black pepper. We serve a big salad as a side dish.

    A fresh serving of shell pasta with butternut squash sauce. Pasta is served with basil and parmesan cheese, topped with black pepper.
    A Fresh Serving of Shell Pasta In Butternut Squash Sauce
    A serving of Shell Pasta in Butternut Squash sauce, garnished with fresh basil and seasoned with parmesan cheese and black pepper

    Shell Pasta in Butternut Squash sauce

    Best Fall comforting pasta dish!! Delicious shell pasta served with creamy butternut squash sauce, garnished with basil and topped with parmesan cheese and black pepper.
    5 from 8 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 25 mins
    baking time 25 mins
    Total Time 1 hr
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 800 kcal

    Equipment

    • Saute pan
    • Medium size pot

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 butternut squash medium size
    • 3 tbsps unsalted butter
    • 0.5 medium yellow onion
    • 2 garlic cloves
    • pinch freshly ground nutmeg
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 0.5 tsp black pepper
    • 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated half the cup will be used in the sauce and half for topping the plates individually later
    • 1 cup half and half cream you can replace with heavy cream
    • 0.5 cup white wine preferrably pinot grigio
    • 16 ozs shell pasta
    • pinch sage optional

    Instructions
     

    • Cut butternut squash in half. Scoop the seeds and pulp. Roast at 400 degrees for about 20 – 25 minutes. Usually I know it's ready if I can stick a fork in it. Let cool until squash is ok to handle.
    • Once butternut squash is cool to handle, scoop all the squash and put it in a blender. Slowly add the half & half (or heavy cream). Blend for a minute or two until very smooth.
    • Chop onion really fine and mince the garlic.
    • Saute onion and garlic in butter. Keep heat medium, it might take a little longer to saute but it would avoid any burning. Saute for few minutes.
    • Add wine once onion is cooked and looks transparent. Scrape well with a wooden spoon. You can strain the onion out or leave as is. Then add the blended butternut squash with half and half. Once you mix it well, lower heat to low. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg and sage. Stir everything together then finally add half of the parmesan cheese and turn heat off.
    • To save some time, I tend to boil water in an electric kettle when I'm blending the squash. Then cook the pasta at the same time as when I'm making the sauce. Cook the pasta al dente, about 8-10 minutes.
    • Drain pasta (over a large pot) and then add pasta shells to sauce. If sauce is too thick, add some of the pasta water (about 0.5 cups at at a time) to make it more runny. Give it a good mix and pasta is ready to serve.
    • Garnish with fresh basil leaves. Top off for each person as desired, usually we just do more freshly grated parmesan cheese and coarse cracked pepper (kids don't like the pepper). Enjoy:)

    Video

    Notes

    • If you feel comfortable cutting and peeling the butternut squash before baking, you can cut the butternut squash in inch size cubes after you peel it and bake it that way, then throw the pieces straight into a blender after baking. 
    • This sauce tends to highlight the flavors so go slow with anything from cheese to salt to spices. You can always add more, but it’s hard to fix if you added too much. A little works miracles.
     

    Nutrition Label

    Nutrition Facts
    Shell Pasta in Butternut Squash sauce
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 800 Calories from Fat 225
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 25g38%
    Saturated Fat 14g88%
    Cholesterol 67mg22%
    Sodium 1006mg44%
    Potassium 1064mg30%
    Carbohydrates 113g38%
    Fiber 8g33%
    Sugar 8g9%
    Protein 28g56%
    Vitamin A 20624IU412%
    Vitamin C 41mg50%
    Calcium 466mg47%
    Iron 3mg17%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 800kcalCarbohydrates: 113gProtein: 28gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 1006mgPotassium: 1064mgFiber: 8gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 20624IUVitamin C: 41mgCalcium: 466mgIron: 3mg
    Keyword butternut squash sauce, Fall pasta dish, shell pasta
    Tried this recipe?Mention @mediterranean_latin_love or tag #mediterraneanlatinloveaffair!

    If you would like to save this recipe for later, please pin the below image to your boards in Pinterest. Feel free to contact me with any questions or show off your version of this recipe in social media:)

    Instagram: mediterranean_latin_love or Twitter: MediterrLatin or Facebook: Mediterranean Latin Love Affair.

    An image made specifically for Pinterest. It's composed of two pictures showing pasta in the pan then pasta served in a plate. Pictures are separating with a Title bar where these words are written: Shell Pasta, Butternut Squash Sauce and then the website link.
    Butternut Squash Sauce With Shell Pasta

    Other Pasta Recipes

    Check out these other pasta recipes in my blog:

    • Bolivian Spicy Pasta (Aji de Fideos)
    • Shrimp Pasta in Tomato Sauce
    • Mushroom Pasta Sauce with Ground Beef

    Filed Under: Main Dishes, Recipes Tagged With: pasta

    About Sonila

    Mom of 2, wife, engineer, food blogger & recipe creator! Sonila was born in Albania, her heritage inspires her Mediterranean recipes while that of her husband the Latin ones. Sonila has 2 degrees in Engineering from University of Miami.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Nisha

      September 22, 2020 at 3:51 pm

      5 stars
      This pasta look so inviting and delicious, it’s a great idea to have squash in the sauce and get your servings of veggies as well. Love the beautiful color of the sauce as well.

      Reply
    2. Silvia

      September 18, 2020 at 4:53 pm

      5 stars
      Sonila! This pasta in butternut squash sauce is delicious and looks amazing. I love Autumm flavors.

      Reply
      • Sonila

        September 20, 2020 at 6:23 am

        Thank you Silvia:). We do too!! My kids celebrate everything Fall, especially since it doesn’t get cooler here so we make up by decorating and cooking Fall themed food:)

        Reply
    3. Adriana

      September 18, 2020 at 2:37 pm

      5 stars
      I love pasta and this recipe has given me many cravings !! I love this delicious shell pasta in butternut squash sauce. Yum!

      Reply
      • Sonila

        September 20, 2020 at 6:23 am

        Thank you Adriana:)

        Reply
    4. Sofía

      September 18, 2020 at 2:06 pm

      5 stars
      Yo tengo en el blog una receta de pasta con calabaza, pero esta me ha encantado, porque la calabaza esta en salsa y yo la hice en trozos, probare tu receta.

      Un abrazo

      Sofía

      Reply
      • Sonila

        September 20, 2020 at 6:26 am

        Gracias Sofia, voy a ver tu receta de calabaza. Yo tambien cocino bastante con calabazas, pero todavia no hay aqui asi que empiezo con el butternut squash y despues paso a calabazas. Espero te guste este shell pasta with butternut squash sauce!!

        Reply
    5. Blanca D

      September 18, 2020 at 12:36 pm

      5 stars
      I love pasta and this recipe with shells looks so yummy! I haven’t use butternut squash in a sauce, but I think I’m going to start doing it because it looks so deliciously creamy!

      Reply
    6. Mari Estilo

      September 18, 2020 at 11:35 am

      5 stars
      Esta receta se ve deliciosa! I need to try how make this shell pasta! Me encanta la forma como explicas, creo que es una receta que podré preparar en casa.

      Reply
      • Sonila

        September 20, 2020 at 6:28 am

        Thank you Mari:). It’s a very simple recipe but looks gourmet once done!! Te aseguro que puedes prepapar en casa:)

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Sonila Zarate
    Sonila Zarate

    Mom of 2, wife, engineer, food blogger & recipe creator! Sonila was born in Albania, her heritage inspires her Mediterranean recipes while that of her husband the Latin ones. Sonila has 2 degrees in Engineering from University of Miami.

    More about me →

    Trending Recipes

    • Baked Chicken & Rice
    • Creamy Spinach and Mushrooms Chicken
    • Cast Iron Grilled Lamb Chops
    • Mediterranean Potato Salad

    Featured In

    As Seen In collage as of Fed 2021

    My Web Stories

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    Contact

    Privacy & Disclaimer Policies

    CCPA

    Do Not Sell My Information

    Weekly Newsletter!

    Please Sign Up for our weekly Newsletter for recipes and more:)

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.

    Copyright © 2022 MediterraneanLatinLoveAffair