This pasta is plant-based, gluten free, creamy, and oh so delicious! It’s perfect for those cozy fall months and can be made in 30 minutes or less. Try this quick, easy, and healthy pasta today!
What Are My Choices for Pasta?
In this recipe, I use a gluten free fusilli pasta. However, if there is a different type of pasta you would prefer, you’re welcome to swap that out. This recipe would go well with any pasta. My favorite brand of pasta is Jovial because you can’t tell it’s gluten free. Despite this, I actually used Trader Joe’s gluten free chickpea fusilli pasta in this dish because I was looking for more protein. There are plenty of gluten free protein pastas out there if that is the route you’d like to go. Still, if you want your emphasis to be on grains in this dish, then go with a gluten free pasta made from rice or a different type of grain.
What Could I Add to this Pasta?
The possibilities are endless! I added spinach (which is part of the recipe), pumpkin seeds, and craisins to this dish which are some of your many options. You could also add other veggies such as broccoli or cauliflower. If you like to lean more toward the cheesy side, you can top this pasta with a plant-based and gluten free cheese. Violife’s feta or parmesan would be super yummy mixed into this.
What Equipment Do I Need for this Recipe?
No fancy equipment needed here! All you will need is a large soup pot (or two) to cook the pasta and sauce in, along with an immersion blender. If you don’t have an immersion blender, don’t panic! You can use a regular blender or food processor with this recipe as well. However, I would highly recommend an immersion blender as it comes in super handy if you’re a fan of creamy soups or sauces.
Tips on Chopping Butternut Squash
Butternut squash can sometimes be a challenge to cut because of how hard it is. I would recommend cutting off the stem and end of the butternut squash to start. Then, cut it in half right between the long top and the round bottom. From here, you can peel the squash with a peeler or knife, then remove the seeds. If your butternut squash is too tough to cut at all, poke some holes in it with a fork all around and microwave it for 3 minutes. This will soften it enough that you can cook it.
Ingredients
- Yellow Onion
- Butternut Squash
- Minced Garlic
- Paprika
- Cumin
- Canned Coconut Milk
- Spinach
- Gluten Free Fusilli
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil for Cooking
Substitutions
- Minced Garlic – As always, feel free to use garlic cloves or garlic powder instead. 1/2 tsp minced garlic is equivalent to 1 diced garlic clove. 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder is equal to 1/2 tsp minced garlic.
- Canned Coconut Milk – I prefer coconut milk in this recipe because it is so creamy. However, you can try swapping it out for a different plant-based milk, keeping in mind that your sauce may end up thinner or with a slightly different taste.
- Gluten Free Fusilli – As I mentioned, this sauce goes well with any pasta so feel free to experiment here.
Recipe
Plant-Based Butternut Squash Pasta
Ingredients
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 1 small/medium butternut squash
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 1/8 cups coconut milk (from a can)
- 6 oz spinach
- 12 oz gluten free fusilli
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Cook your fusilli according to package instructions. Once the pasta is done cooking, add your spinach to the pasta strainer before pouring in pasta and water to make it wilt.
- Cut, peel, and remove the seeds of your butternut squash. Cut it into 1" chunks. (Check out tips for cutting butternut squash above if you're having trouble with this).
- Add extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and onion to a large soup pot and set to medium heat. Cook until onion has softened/browned.
- Add the butternut squash to the pot. Cook until it has softened.
- Add the paprika and cumin and stir.
- Add the coconut milk and stir. Cover and let cook for five minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Use an immersion blender or pour sauce into a blender to blend until creamy.
- Stir the butternut squash pasta sauce in with the pasta and spinach. Serve while warm and enjoy!
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